Law School's 'Restrictions' On Professor's Contact With Students During Sexual Harassment Probe Apparently Didn't Cover Auctioning Off A Date
Somehow this doesn't seem like a robust set of restrictions.
It all started soon after Professor Joshua Wright, a former FTC Commissioner, made a chipper social media announcement about leaving academia to start a new private sector venture. Following the surprise announcement, Professor Christa Laser shared her story about Wright seemingly using his role heading up the law school’s hiring efforts to dangle job opportunities in an effort to get dates. While creepy, the tale proved a mere prelude, as former law students came forward with accounts of sex in his office and career opportunities predicated on maintaining a sexual relationship. These allegations were the subject of a Title IX complaint lodged with the school back in 2021.
How did the school handle the situation? When a law school is named ASS Law, the expectations are already pretty low. Yet somehow the school managed to surprise!
Dean Ken Randall sent a back to school message to students addressing the allegations and, more importantly, telling the students how committed the law school had been behind the scenes throughout the investigation.
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As has been discussed in the media, an alumnus from the Class of 2012 filed a complaint, in late 2021, with the University about Professor Wright’s conduct beginning when she was a student.
The university retained an external firm to investigate the allegations. The investigation, in an effort to be exhaustive, was lengthy. While the investigation was pending, I put restrictions in place to limit Professor Wright’s teaching, separate him from students outside the classroom, and remove him from other student activities and responsibilities.
These are the reasonable steps that a responsible administration would take under the circumstances. It will shock you not at all to learn that these assertions might not match reality.
Like, for instance, in the Spring of 2023 — well after the “late 2021” complaint — when the school’s pro bono auction featured this item.
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Was the administration’s “restriction” that he had to charge a minimum of $50 for outside contact? Not taking students to a cocktail lounge to discuss “or whatever else!” is the most basic of restrictions available.
The school will almost certainly dismiss this incident as a breach of its vague restrictions, but that misses the point. Whatever the admin’s message, not only did the professor feel undeterred from hitting the bars with students, he felt he could publicly announce his plan at a school event. Perhaps Federalist Society U didn’t care enough about pro bono work to monitor the auction, which is a shame because those January 6 folks aren’t going to defend themselves!
Seriously, though it’s extremely difficult to believe the schools actions match it CYA memo rhetoric when students are bringing us receipts like this.
Earlier: We Shouldn’t Have To Say This, But Job Interviews Are Not Your Personal Dating App
Sexual Harassment Allegations Mount Against Former FTC Commissioner & Law Professor
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Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
