Lam v. University of Hawai'i
United State Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
40 F.3d 1551 (1994)
- Written by Galina Abdel Aziz , JD
Facts
Professor Maivan Clech Lam (plaintiff), a Vietnamese woman, applied for the opening for Director of the Law School’s Pacific Asian Legal Studies Program at the University of Hawai’i Richardson School of Law (university) (defendant). The university declined to hire anyone after it extended an offer to a white female candidate who rejected the offer. Lam sued the University for discrimination based on race, sex, and national origin. The district court found that Lam had established a prime facie case of discrimination and that the university met its burden to offer a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason, alleging that Lam lacked scholarship and desired characteristics. Lam submitted evidence that the head of the appointments committee harbored a biased attitude toward women and Asians. The university submitted evidence that the other two candidates were Asian and female, respectively, which indicated a lack of bias. The district court granted summary judgement for the University. Lam appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Reinhardt, J.)
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