Federal Court Rejects Drexel University's Motion in Professor Retaliation Suit
A Pennsylvania federal judge denied summary judgment for Drexel University, its philosophy chair and college dean in a tenured professor's retaliation lawsuit over a course format change.
The judge ruled that the university and its administrators must face the professor's claims that shifting her class from in-person to online was punitive. The faculty member, who previously won an equal-pay case, argues the alteration was retaliation. The court found factual disputes about when and why the change occurred, preventing a summary judgment dismissal. The case remains pending in federal court.
Why it matters
The ruling means the professor's retaliation claim will continue, highlighting challenges of workplace retaliation claims in academia.
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