Jew v. University of Iowa
United States District Court for the District of Iowa
749 F. Supp. 946 (1990)
- Written by Mike Begovic, JD
Facts
Jean Jew (plaintiff) became an associate professor in the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa (Iowa) (defendant) in 1979, five years after her appointment as an assistant professor. Over the course of 13 years, Jew was the subject of derogatory and hostile comments. During her tenure as an associate professor, Jew worked closely with the head of the anatomy department, Dr. Terrence Williams, collaborating with him on research projects and publications. Early into her tenure, rumors began circulating that Jew was having an affair with Williams. Sexually explicit cartoons and pictures were posted outside the office of one of Jew’s colleagues in the department. One faculty member referred to Jew as a slut and told colleagues that Jew was receiving preferential treatment from Williams. A different colleague, in a drunken rant, yelled at Jew as she passed by in the hall, calling her a bitch, slut, and whore. Faculty in the department made several other derogatory comments toward Jew throughout her tenure. Jew was up for promotion from associate professor to professor in 1983. Jew was denied promotion by a vote of five to three, despite having authored and coauthored numerous papers. Of the five faculty members who voted against Jew, three of them had made derogatory comments. Jew filed an official complaint of sexual harassment with Iowa in 1984, and a panel investigating her claim determined that Jew had been defamed and sexually harassed. Subsequently, Jew filed a suit under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleging that she was subjected to a hostile work environment and that her promotion was denied because of sex discrimination.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Vietor, C.J.)
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