After Settling Lawsuit For $160,000, University Of Colorado Investigation Finds Law School Dean Retaliated Against Tenured Professor

Following up on last month's post, Colorado Settles Discrimination And Retaliation Lawsuit By Paying Senior Tenured Law Prof $60,000 Plus $100,000 Attorney's Fees:  Denver Post, CU Boulder Investigation Finds Law School Dean Retaliated Against Professor:

An investigation conducted by the University of Colorado Boulder found that a dean of the campus’s law school violated university policy by retaliating against a professor who reported discrimination.

Paul Campos, a law professor at CU Boulder, filed a complaint with the university in 2022 reporting he faced discrimination and retaliation from Law School Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss.

Campos filed a lawsuit against the university and Inniss in June of 2023. A settlement agreement was reached and both parties signed a dismissal of all claims on Feb. 13.

“When our settlement was announced, the university issued a statement saying it denied any wrongdoing had occurred, and, because there had been no wrongdoing, Dean Inniss would retain her position,” Campos said in an email. “Almost immediately after the university issued that statement, the university’s own 18-month investigation of the dean concluded that Dean Inniss had engaged in actions that violate federal civil rights laws, designed to protect people from being retaliated against when they report unlawful discrimination.”

The university’s investigation was conducted through CU Boulder’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance. OIEC finalized its conclusion of the investigation on Feb. 19, about six days after the lawsuit wrapped up. In the settlement agreement, CU Boulder denied any wrongdoing.