Following up on my previous posts (links below): Daily Business Review, Ex-St. Thomas Univ. Law Professor Sues School Over Firing, Alleging Defamation:
Former tenured St. Thomas University law professor Lauren Gilbert sued the school in Florida state court on Tuesday after the university fired her in July.
The lawsuit alleges that the school did not follow due process in her termination and violated school policy by sending a reporter sensitive documents that also contained defamatory statements. Gilbert’s termination comes after the school allegedly forced other tenured faculty out of the school because of an incident where the school was accused of discriminating against a pro-LGBTQ student union.
The ABA Journal covered an initial lawsuit from Gilbert filed in August, when the school allegedly sent Gilbert’s termination letter to a reporter for the publication. In the letter, the school accuses Gilbert of having an inappropriate relationship with a university graduate, which her lawsuit claims is defamatory. That original lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed after both parties came to an agreement, according to court records.
“There is an assertion that she is engaged in an inappropriate relationship. Now, they don’t define that in any way, but the normal interpretation of that would be some kind of a dating, intimate or sexual relationship,” David Frakt, Gilbert’s lawyer, said. ”There has been no intimate, dating or sexual relationship between professor Gilbert and any student or recent graduate.”
Law360, St. Thomas Law School Hit With Law Prof's Defamation Suit
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
- Tenured Professor Sues St. Thomas College of Law After Firing (Aug. 22, 2024)
- St. Thomas College of Law Reinstates Fired Tenured Professor, Will Start Termination Hearings (Sept. 1, 2024)
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