Tag Archives: Legal issues

Judge sets Feb. 1 trial for former U of L dean: Robert Felner faces fraud, tax evasion, money laundering charges

Posted on October 27, 2009 by | Comments Off on Judge sets Feb. 1 trial for former U of L dean: Robert Felner faces fraud, tax evasion, money laundering charges

Courier-Journal: Judge sets Feb. 1 trial for former U of L dean
Felner faces fraud, tax evasion,money laundering charges

A trial date has been set for former University of Louisville education dean Robert Felner, who was indicted last year on 10 counts of mail fraud, money-laundering conspiracy and income tax evasion.

The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 1, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Calhoun said it will take about three weeks.

Felner’s colleague, Thomas Schroeder of Port Byron, Ill., who is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, mail fraud and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, will be tried at the same time

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Rejected applicant sues U. of I. over ‘clout list’

Posted on October 26, 2009 by | Comments Off on Rejected applicant sues U. of I. over ‘clout list’

Chicago Tribune: Rejected applicant sues U. of I. over ‘clout list’
Suit seeks class-action status, more than $5 million in damages

A rejected applicant sued the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Tuesday, alleging unfair admissions practices because the school had maintained a “clout list,” accepting students ba

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CU asks court to bill Ward Churchill $52,000 for case fees

Posted on October 15, 2009 by | Comments Off on CU asks court to bill Ward Churchill $52,000 for case fees

The Daily Camera: CU asks court to bill Ward Churchill $52,000 for case fees

The University of Colorado is asking for more than $52,000 from Ward Churchill to recover costs the school incurred fighting a lawsuit filed by the former ethnic studies professor.

The total tab, filed in Denver District Court last week, includes individual expenses ranging from $2 for courthouse parking to $22,095 for “in-trial video and visual exhibits.”

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Scholars’ Right to Keep Unpublished Work Private Is at Issue in Lawsuit

Posted on October 13, 2009 by | Comments Off on Scholars’ Right to Keep Unpublished Work Private Is at Issue in Lawsuit

The Chronicle: Scholars’ Right to Keep Unpublished Work Private Is at Issue in Lawsuit

In a case with potentially major implications for scholars and publishers, a Stanford University professor who often serves as an expert witness against tobacco companies is fighting an effort by lawyers for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to obtain the manuscript of his unpublished and unfinished book on that industry.

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Posted in Academic freedom, Legal issues

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When in doubt, sue

Posted on September 22, 2009 by | Comments Off on When in doubt, sue

Inside Higher Ed: ‘The Trials of Academe’

When in doubt, sue. That philosophy has become an expected part of American society and (to the frustration of many in higher education) academe as well. A new book — The Trials of Academe: The New Era of Campus Litigation (Harvard University Press) — combines humor and history to examine the impact (most of it negative) of academic disputes landing in court. Amy Gajda, the author, is assistant professor of journalism and law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She responded via e-mail to questions about her book.

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Judge orders Oakland University, union back to table

Posted on September 9, 2009 by | Comments Off on Judge orders Oakland University, union back to table

Detroit Free Press: Judge orders Oakland University, union back to table

An Oakland County Circuit Court judge has ordered round-the-clock negotiations between Oakland University and the American Association of University Professors.

If the sides can’t reach an agreement by 10 a.m. Thursday, Judge Edward Sosnick said, he will hold a court hearing on the university’s request for a preliminary injunction. The university has called the strike by its faculty “illegal” and said it has caused “irreparable harm” to students and parents.

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Posted in Strikes & Labor Disputes

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Oakland University, union meet with judge on strike

Posted on September 9, 2009 by | Comments Off on Oakland University, union meet with judge on strike

Detroit Free Press: Oakland University, union meet with judge on strike

Representatives for Oakland University and the American Association of University Professors are talking with Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Edward Sosnick behind closed doors this morning in an attempt to settle the labor dispute that has now canceled classes for a fourth day.

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Posted in Strikes & Labor Disputes

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Oakland U. to Ask Judge to Order Striking Professors Back to Work

Posted on September 9, 2009 by | Comments Off on Oakland U. to Ask Judge to Order Striking Professors Back to Work

The Chronicle: Oakland U. to Ask Judge to Order Striking Professors Back to Work

Administrators at Oakland University, the Michigan institution where classes have been canceled since
Thursday because of a faculty strike, plan to ask a state judge to order professors back to work. The university’s chapter of the American Association of University professors said on its Web site that, a few hours before dawn today, talks held over the Labor Day weekend yielded a settlement agreement that the union’s bargaining team has “no authority to sign.” Negotiators for both sides will meet with a state mediator this afternoon.

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UW-Whitewater cannot collect from ex-dean

Posted on September 9, 2009 by | Comments Off on UW-Whitewater cannot collect from ex-dean

State Journal: Judge: UW-Whitewater cannot collect from ex-dean

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater cannot sue a former dean accused of misusing school money because it waited too long and failed to prove any purchases were for his personal benefit, a judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller last week threw out the university’s countersuit against former College of Letters and Sciences Dean Howard Ross. The judge ordered a trial on Ross’ claims that he was singled out by a racist auditor and later demoted because he is black.

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Jury awards whistle-blower student $450,000

Posted on August 28, 2009 by | Comments Off on Jury awards whistle-blower student $450,000

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Jury awards whistle-blower student $450,000

When she was thrown out of nursing school just 13 weeks before graduating, Sara Castle was humiliated.

Still, she knew she and her classmates weren’t getting the clinical training they needed because an instructor repeatedly dismissed students early — a practice Castle exposed, and the teacher was fired.

But Castle, too, was a casualty as Appalachian Technical College expelled her for, she asserts, blowing the whistle.

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Jury Orders Boston U. Graduate Student to Pay $675,000 for Illegal Downloads

Posted on August 3, 2009 by | Comments Off on Jury Orders Boston U. Graduate Student to Pay $675,000 for Illegal Downloads

The Chronicle: Jury Orders Boston U. Graduate Student to Pay $675,000 for Illegal Downloads

A federal jury on Friday ordered a Boston University graduate student to pay four music companies $675,000, one day after the student, Joel Tenenbaum, admitted in court that he had downloaded and distributed more than two dozen songs that did not belong to him.

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Posted in Open access

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Churchill appeal says judge erred

Posted on July 25, 2009 by | Comments Off on Churchill appeal says judge erred

Denver Post: Churchill appeal says judge erred
An accompanying affidavit states the jury wanted CU to rehire the ex-professor.

Ward Churchill continues fighting to get his job back in a new legal motion that says a Denver District Court judge erred when he ruled against reinstating the fired University of Colorado professor.

A juror who sat through Churchill’s civil case against the university submitted an affidavit to Chief Judge Larry Naves on Tuesday that said the jury wanted him to reinstate Churchill.

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Amid barrage of harsh e-mails, ex-med school dean Kone resigns, gets settlement

Posted on July 20, 2009 by | Comments Off on Amid barrage of harsh e-mails, ex-med school dean Kone resigns, gets settlement

Gainesville Sun: Amid barrage of harsh e-mails, ex-med school dean Kone resigns, gets settlement

Former University of Florida College of Medicine dean Dr. Bruce Kone has resigned from UF and will receive $517,000 over three years as part of a settlement reached with the university just months after it accused him of sending anonymous e-mails defaming university officials.

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Colorado Judge Mugs Churchill

Posted on July 11, 2009 by | Comments Off on Colorado Judge Mugs Churchill

howtheuniversityworks: Colorado Judge Mugs Churchill

In my last column, I pointed out that the nationalist and “cultural capital” function of literature classes are in decline. With their tenure lines evaporating, many literature faculty are grasping at the claim that they teach “reading” and “thinking.”

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Fund Raiser Says Binghamton Used Her as Sexual ‘Plaything’

Posted on July 11, 2009 by | 1 comment

AP: Woman sues, says NY school used her as ‘plaything’

NEW YORK (AP) — A fundraiser at an upstate university has sued two senior athletic department officials, accusing them of using her as a “plaything” and trying to make her ply big donors with her sexuality.

The plaintiff, Elizabeth Williams, is represented by the lawyer who won a highly publicized sexual harassment case against former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas two years ago.

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Head of Aid Group Charged

Posted on July 9, 2009 by | Comments Off on Head of Aid Group Charged

Inside Higher Ed: Head of Aid Group Charged

Philip Day charged with felonies related to previous job as chancellor of City College of San Francisco, where he is accused of diverting funds to political activities.

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CU billing Churchill for out-of-pocket legal expenses

Posted on July 9, 2009 by | Comments Off on CU billing Churchill for out-of-pocket legal expenses

Denver Post: CU billing Churchill for out-of-pocket legal expenses

The University of Colorado will bill Ward Churchill for more than $10,000 in out-of-pocket costs the school incurred while defending against his wrongful termination suit, the university’s lawyer said today.

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Hawaii court blocks state furlough plan

Posted on July 8, 2009 by | Comments Off on Hawaii court blocks state furlough plan

Honolulu Advertiser: Hawaii court blocks state furlough plan
Judge says governor’s order is subject to collective bargaining

Throwing Gov. Linda Lingle’s plans to close the state’s budget deficit into doubt, a Circuit Court judge ruled yesterday that the governor does not have the authority to unilaterally order furloughs for state workers.

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Ward Churchill Gets Nothing

Posted on July 8, 2009 by | Comments Off on Ward Churchill Gets Nothing

Inside Higher Ed: Ward Churchill Gets Nothing

The University of Colorado won just about everything it wanted, and Ward Churchill lost just about everything he wanted, in a ruling Tuesday by a state judge in Colorado.

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Judge Rejects Ward Churchill’s Plea for Reinstatement, Vacates Verdict in His Favor

Posted on July 8, 2009 by | Comments Off on Judge Rejects Ward Churchill’s Plea for Reinstatement, Vacates Verdict in His Favor

The Chronicle: Judge Rejects Ward Churchill’s Plea for Reinstatement, Vacates Verdict in His Favor

A state court judge on Tuesday not only denied Ward Churchill everything he sought in his long-running battle with the University of Colorado system, but also negated the one victory the controversial scholar had won so far: a jury verdict holding that system officials had violated his First Amendment rights by firing him from a job as a tenured ethnic-studies professor in response to statements he had made.

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