Griff Harsh ’09, the son of Princeton donor and California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman ’77, was accused of sexual assault while at the University, the gossip website Gawker reported on Friday.
The victim never reported the incident, which allegedly took place during Harsh's sophomore year in spring 2006, to police. The University dealt with the accusation internally through the Committee on Discipline and decided not to expel Harsh, though he ultimately took a year-long leave of absence, according to Gawker.
Media outlets have raised the question of whether the University's decision may have been influenced by the high-profile status of his mother, the former chief-executive of eBay. In 2002, Whitman donated $30 million toward the construction of her namesake Whitman College. She also served as a University trustee from 2000 to 2004. The University has a policy not to comment on individual cases of sexual assault because of confidentiality laws.
This incident was not the only one Harsh had been involved in during his time at the University, according to Gawker. He was previously arrested in Princeton for attempting to buy alcohol with a fake ID. Shortly afterward, back in his home state of California, Harsh was accused of breaking a woman's ankle in a bar brawl. Whitman posted bail and the charges were eventually dropped.
The Gawker report comes shortly after an incident reported in August concerning Harsh's brother, Will Harsh ’11, who was allegedly involved in an altercation with a professor over the use of a field for the men's club rugby team.
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