Jury awards former CSUSB Associate Dean $6 million in CSU gender discrimination lawsuit
Jesus Reyes
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The former Associate Dean of CSU San Bernardino has been awarded $6 million in a gender discrimination lawsuit against Cal State University, attorney group Helmer Friedman LLP. announced.
A jury in Los Angeles County returned a $6 million verdict in favor of Dr. Anissa Rogers.
According to her attorneys, the lawsuit stemmed from reports from Rogers and other employees to multiple CSU officials that the defendant, CSUSB Palm Desert Dean Jake Zhu, was harassing and discriminating against female employees on account of their gender.
Despite repeated reports, CSU took no action to remedy the situation. CSU would go on to fire Rogers from her Associate Dean position.
The jury’s $6 million award is entirely for noneconomic damages, including compensation for emotional distress and the personal toll suffered by Rogers on account of workplace gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
“This case exposed what women inside Cal State have been saying for years: the mistreatment of women within the Cal State system is not just a series of one-off incidents; the problem is systemic and structural,” said Andrew H. Friedman of Helmer Friedman, LLP who represented Dr. Rogers. This verdict should serve as a loud message to CSU to clean up its act and take complaints of employment violations seriously,” Friedman added. “Cal State can no longer ignore the systemic twin problems of gender-based mistreatment and retaliation that is endemic. The jury saw the importance of holding this institution to account, and we’re very appreciative of that.”
Rogers’ lead trial lawyer, David M. deRubertis of The deRubertis Law Firm APC, argued the gender based mistreatment of Rogers was an inevitable result after CSU San Bernardino ignored a 2015 “climate survey” that suggested a culture of fear, intimidation, gender-based mistreatment and bullying at Cal State San Bernardino and recommended adoption of an anti-bullying policy and an audit of HR practices and policies.
At trial, CSU San Bernardino President Tomas Morales admitted that neither recommendation was implemented.
Courtney Abrams of Courtney Abrams, PC, who also represented Dr. Rogers, said the jury verdict “represents a resounding rejection of CSU’s long-running denials of gender bias within its ranks. Dr. Rogers stood up not only for herself, but also the other women who have been subjected to gender based double-standards within the Cal State system.”
Friedman, Abrams, and deRubertis also represent Clare Weber, the former Vice Provost of Academic Affairs of CSU San Bernardino, whose claims of gender pay equity, harassment based on gender and retaliation are expected to go to trial next year.