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University of Cincinnati College of Law Dean Jennifer Bard is suing the university and its interim provost after she was placed on administrative leave last month, alleging violations of due process and freedom of speech as well as breach of contract.
Bard’s complaint, filed late Friday in the Western Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, says that she was illegally placed on leave after she responded to media reports about faculty members who were attempting to have her removed. Bard told The Cincinnati Business Courier a “small but vocal cabal” of faculty members was trying to have her ousted after she moved to close a multimillion-dollar budget deficit.
In response, University of Cincinnati Interim Provost Peter Landgren placed Bard on leave, the complaint alleges. It also alleges that Bard attempted to go through a mediation process with faculty members but was blocked by the interim provost.
The suit seeks Bard’s reinstatement as law school dean and a statement from the university and interim provost that she engaged in no misconduct. It also requests compensatory and punitive damages from Landgren for allegedly violating Bard’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, along with monetary damages from the university for breach of contract.
“I came to UC in good faith, deeply committed to addressing the College of Law’s failure to adapt to a rapidly changing legal market,” Bard said in a statement. ”Although I enjoyed the support of the students and many highly talented faculty and staff, the university now seems committed to seeing a small, entitled minority of faculty hijack reform efforts that should be dedicated solely to the welfare of its students. I have no recourse but to protect my good name and encourage an open discussion of the deeply rooted and ongoing problems that existed here well before my arrival.”
Bard is the first woman to be dean of the university’s College of Law. She was placed on leave less than two years after her hiring in July 2015.
A University of Cincinnati spokesman told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the university was reviewing the lawsuit and welcomed the chance to “present the truth” in court.
