Appeals court finds IU med student properly dismissed

A third-year student at Indiana University School of Medicine kicked out after the university concluded he cheated on an exam lost his appeal of the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of the university.

Marion Superior Judge Cynthia Ayers properly granted IU’s motion for summary judgment in Peter F. Amaya v. D. Craig Brater, M.D., In his Capacity as Dean and Director of Indiana University School of Medicine; The Board of Trustees of Indiana University; et al., 49A04-1212-PL-620, a panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

Amaya failed to convince an appellate judge that there were material issues of fact that he was denied due process or that his dismissal was unsupported by evidence. The court previously rejected Amaya’s claims against IU for breach of contract, breach of good faith and fair dealing.

Amaya denies cheating on a mini-block exam in 2010 after three proctors accused him of copying test answers from a neighboring student.

“Based upon the summary judgment materials and designated evidence, we conclude that Amaya has not met his burden to establish that the trial court erred in finding there was no genuine issue of material fact as to Counts I and II of Amaya’s second amended verified complaint and in granting the University’s second motion for summary judgment as to those claims,” Judge Elaine Brown wrote for the court. “We affirm the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of the University.”