A Sacramento State graduate student and mother of three has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against one of her former professors and claims that administration failed to take appropriate steps to remedy the situation.

According to the lawsuit, 33-year old Judy Aguilar has accused associate Spanish professor and Foreign Languages Department Chair Wilfrido Corral of allegedly pressuring her for dates, telling her to cheat on her husband and hugging and kissing her against her will.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in Sacramento Superior Court on March 20, Aguilar alleges that the harassment began in the fall of 2005 after she told Corral that stress in her marriage had caused her to fall behind in her studies. Aguilar claims that Corral later said that she could hold out sexually or cheat on her husband.

Aside from Corral, Aguilar has also named Sac State and members of the California State University Board of Trustees in her suit claiming that they “failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the harassment.”

According to the lawsuit, Aguilar alleges that university officials had been previously notified and were aware of similar allegations against Corral.

Corral, who became a full-time faculty member in 2003, was unavailable for comment.

University policy prohibits professors from dating or engaging in sexual affairs with students who are currently enrolled in their classes.

“No person who has instructional responsibilities? shall have an amorous relationship (consensual or otherwise) with a student who is enrolled in a course taught by (them),” according to the policy.

According to the lawsuit, Aguilar did not invite nor encourage Corral’s “sexual comments” and froze when he hugged and kissed her.

As a result, Aguilar claims she has suffered “humiliation, emotional distress?pain and anguish.”

Aguilar is suing for an undetermined amount of money. Her attorney, Peter F. Samuel of Samuel & Samuel Attorneys At Law, could not be reached for comment.

Vice President of Public Affairs Frank Whitlatch said he could not comment on previous complaints or the actual lawsuit because they are “personnel matters.”

“We take these complaints very seriously and look into them thoroughly,” he said.

University Counsel Edmundo Aguilar said that while he can’t discuss any specifics, he is extremely confident in the actions of university administrators.

“We feel that we’ve taken the appropriate measures and that the outcome of the lawsuit will show that,” Aguilar said.

CSU Media Relations Specialist Paul Browning said that as far as he knows the CSU and its board members had not been notified of the lawsuit.

“I can’t comment on the actual suit because I’m unsure of any specifics,” Browning said. “It’s quite common, however, for the (CSU) Board of Trustees to be named in a suit of this nature.”

Sac State’s Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Director Peter Lau said faculty members face a diverse range of punishments if an allegation of sexual assault is made against them and authenticated.

“A lot goes into the process,” Lau said. “Results for a (faculty members) being found guilty of violating university policy can range from a counseling memo to dismissal.”

Lau said the university’s policy on faculty-students relations was created to protect students from being violated, taken advantage of or manipulated by professors who are seemingly figures of authority. He said the policy recognizes the power differential between students and their professors, who have control of their grades and letters of recommendations, among other things.

“This is why we say that (faculty-student relationships) can’t be consensual,” Lau said.