Fired Professor Seeks $200-Million in Lawsuit Against Columbia U.

by E Wayne Ross on April 22, 2009

The Chronicle: Fired Professor Seeks $200-Million in Lawsuit Against Columbia U.

A professor who was fired for plagiarism by Columbia University is suing the institution and her accusers for $200-million, alleging that she was the victim of an “academic lynching.”

Madonna G. Constantine, a former professor of psychology and education at Columbia’s Teachers College, was fired last July after an investigation found that she had plagiarized the work of two former students and a former colleague. Earlier last year, in an interview with The Chronicle, Ms. Constantine maintained that in fact it was her work that had been plagiarized and that her accusers had been motivated by professional envy.