Monday, December 22, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW DEAN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION

Professor Danne Johnson has filed a Federal Law suit against Oklahoma City University School of Law and against Dean Lawrence Hellman. Professor Johnson allegedly accuses Dean Lawrence Hellman of sexual discrimination and violation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. According to media reports, Johnson has been an associate professor of law since 2003 and contends male law professors at the school make as much as 52% more than their female counterparts at OCU.

Nothing from my "Law School" surprises me. In particular, any allegation regarding Dean Hellman would be unsurprising to me. My personal experiences with him as an Alumni left me to seriously question whether he has any objective sense of "fairness." Of course, that does not mean he is wrong or guilty in the instance of Professor Johnson - that is a factual finding left for the Federal Court to determine. If Dean Hellman is guilty of sexual discrimination, I hope the Federal Court holds him accountable to the full extent of its power. Dean Hellman should be sent the clear message that he should treat all people with equal dignity and respect - even if he is not guilty of sexual discrimination.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The administration at OCU law is corrupt. Nothing at this law school surprises me either. There seems to be way too much abuse of power. Hellman and other law administrators, including professors, need to be held responsible for their actions.

Kudos to Johnson for standing up to the law school and Hellman. I applaud Johnson for her courage. I hope justice will prevail in Johnson's situation as well as others who have been discriminated against.

There are currently two federal lawsuits filed against OCU. One by Johnson and the other by a law student. Both involve discrimination and abuse of power. This should raise a red flag, and something MUST be done.