The 2017 expulsion of former University of Southern California (USC) football player Matt Boermeester for intimate partner violence was so blatantly unfair that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos cited the case as an argument for revising federal guidance on campus sexual assault adjudication. (DeVos’s new rules, which restore some due process protections to students accused of misconduct, will take effect in the fall.) After three years, Boermeester has won an: an appeals court reversed his utterly unjust expulsion in a ruling last week. “The California Court of Appeal’s decision, finding that USC violated Matt Boermeester’s right to basic fairness, is a great initial victory,” said Andrew Miltenberg, an attorney for Boermeester, in a statement. “We will not rest until Matt Boermeester’s name is cleared and USC answers for their blatant misconduct.” Boermeester is also pursuing a federal lawsuit against USC alleging breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and selective enforcement of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education and compels schools to investigate sexual misconduct. “After having three years of my life derailed, I’m gratified that the California Court of Appeals finally reversed my expulsion based on USC’s wrongful, male-biased, witch hunt brought against me,” said Boermeester in a statement. “Make no mistake, USC stripped away my educational opportunities and hopes and dreams of playing in the NFL, and this ‘win’ does not erase that.”