Professor Accused of Harassment Sues Accusers

A professor at the University of California, Berkeley, accused of sexually harassing students is suing his accusers, The Guardian reported. The defendants, who recently went public with their allegations of unwanted touching and sexual comments, say that Blake Wentworth, an assistant professor of South and Southeast Asian studies, is trying to silence them. In his suit he accuses the women -- two current graduate students and one former undergraduate in his department -- of defamation and “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” according to the Guardian. Wentworth says that the women made “false statements” in their sexual harassment complaints and to the Guardian, which reported on the case, and he says they acted “in an outrageous manner and beyond the bounds of decency tolerated in a civilized society.” A Berkeley investigation determined last year that Wentworth had violated university policies against sexual harassment, but a review of the case is pending. Wentworth is on paid leave.