Bipoc News

Professor-v.-Professor Defamation Suit Can Go Forward, Based on Defendant’s Statements to Students

From Porter v. Sergent, decided yesterday by Sixth Circuit Judge Raymond Kethledge, joined by Judges Richard Griffin and John Bush:

Professor David Porter sued his former employer, Berea College, for employment discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract, and he sued his former colleague, Professor F. Tyler Sergent, for defamation, portrayal in a false light, and retaliation….

In describing the facts for purposes of summary judgment, we view the record in the light most favorable to Porter.

David Porter, a white male in his late 60s, was a tenured professor of psychology and general studies at Berea College from 2005 until September 2018. In March 2017, a younger female colleague, Wendy Williams, initiated a Title IX complaint against the then-chair of the psychology department, Wayne Messer, for allegedly creating a hostile-work environment for women. Two of Williams’s female colleagues later joined the complaint….

Read more…

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *