University Statement
Yale releases report of independent investigation of sexual misconduct
On Jan. 28, 2019, Yale President Peter Salovey ordered an independent investigation of complaints of sexual misconduct against former professor of psychiatry Eugene Redmond. Concurrently, New Haven and Yale Police reached out to St. Kitts Police to inform them of Redmond’s alleged actions.
The independent investigator, former U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly, an attorney at Finn Dixon & Herling, submitted her final report to President Salovey on Aug. 14, 2019. The report may be read in its entirety here (PDF).
Salovey said, “Redmond’s actions, reported by the survivors who came forward, are reprehensible and antithetical to the educational mission of our university. I state again in the strongest possible terms that sexual misconduct and sexual assault have no place in this university.”
Salovey continued, “I am grateful to Ms. Daly, whose excellent recommendations I am studying and will act upon. We will build on years of our community’s efforts to prevent and address sexual misconduct. I have already taken steps to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.”
Daly’s report details incidents of sexual assault and misconduct that began in the early 1990s. Those reporting the misconduct and assault were primarily interns in a program run by Redmond. They included undergraduate students at Yale and other institutions, post-baccalaureate interns, and a high school student. The reported incidents took place in Redmond’s home, at a research facility in St. Kitts operated by a private foundation, in one reported location on Yale’s campus, and in other off-campus locations.
“I am grateful to the survivors who bravely came forward to report the assault and misconduct to which they were subjected,” Salovey stated. “The behaviors in question violate every expectation we have of our faculty and the trust our students, and society, place in educators. On behalf of Yale, I am deeply sorry Redmond’s behavior was not stopped once and for all when it was first reported.”
Based on the findings of serial misconduct by Redmond, the university has implemented new protocols for the maintenance and review of faculty disciplinary records so that relevant administrators can easily access a complete picture of any prior misconduct.
Retirements and changes in staff structure made it possible for Redmond to re-open his internship program after that program had been prohibited. To prevent a similar mistake from occurring in the future, Yale is putting in place a formal monitoring plan that will ensure that any disciplinary decision that includes forward-looking prohibitions will be well-understood and enforced by all relevant offices and staff, both today and as far into the future as necessary.
Yale is also developing a new protocol to supply additional oversight for internship and other overnight programs. Faculty and staff who sponsor activities involving overnight stays off campus with undergraduates will be required to register the activity and will be explicitly advised of requirements for such trips, such as not sharing rooms with students.
Yale is giving careful consideration to recommendations for further actions included in Daly’s report.
Eugene Redmond retired from the university in 2018 with discipline pending against him. He has been banned from the Yale University campus and denied the privileges of a retired faculty member.
Media Contact
Office of Public Affairs & Communications: opac@yale.edu, 203-432-1345