Rajender v. University of Minnesota

Rajender v. University of Minnesota
CourtUnited States District Court for the District of Minnesota
Full case nameShyamala Rajender, et al. v. The University of Minnesota and the Regents of the University of Minnesota
DecidedJuly 24, 1982
Docket nos.Civ. No. 4-73-435
Citation(s)546 F. Supp. 158
Case history
Subsequent action(s)563 F. Supp. 401 (D. Minn. 1983), judgment rev'd in part, vacated in part, 730 F.2d 1110 (8th Cir. 1984).
Court membership
Judge(s) sittingMiles Lord

Rajender v. University of Minnesota was a landmark class action lawsuit dealing with sexual discrimination at an American university.[1] The case was filed on September 5, 1973, by Shyamala Rajender, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota.[2] Rajender accused the university of engaging in employment discrimination on the basis of sex and national origin after she was turned down for a tenure-track position despite being recommended for the position by several university committees.[3] The suit was certified as a class action by the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota on February 13, 1978.[4] After eleven weeks of trial, the suit was settled in 1980 by a consent decree.[5] Rajender received $100,000 and Judge Miles Lord enjoined the university from discriminating against women on the basis of sex.[6] Rajender's attorneys were awarded approximately $2 million in fees.[7] The suit had a lasting impact on US colleges and universities.[8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Glazer-Raymo, Judith (1999). Shattering the Myths: Women in Academe. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 94.
  2. ^ Widener, Andrea (March 7, 2023). "How Shyamala Rajender fought back against discrimination". Chemical & Engineering News. 101 (9). American Chemical Society. ISSN 0009-2347. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  3. ^ Clark, VèVè; Garner, Shirley Nelson; Higonnet, Margaret; et al., eds. (1996). Antifeminism in the academy. Routledge. pp. 210–211.
  4. ^ Rajender v. University of Minnesota, 546 F. Supp. 158, 160–61 (D. Minn. 1982).
  5. ^ Rajender, 546 F. Supp. at 161. https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/100392
  6. ^ Kohlstedt, Sally G.; Fischer, Suzanne M. (2009). "Unstable Networks Among Women in Academe: the Legal Case of Shyamala Rajender". Centaurus. 51 (1): 37–62. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0498.2008.00131.x. PMID 19618550.
  7. ^ Leap, Terry L. (1993). Tenure, discrimination, and the courts. Cornell University. p. 186.
  8. ^ Shipp, E. R. (November 8, 1987). "The Litigious Groves of Academe". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 30, 2019.

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