The sexual harassment and retaliation case Ravina v. Columbia University came to a close after over two contentious weeks at trial. A New York jury decided to award plaintiff Enrichetta Ravina a total of $1.25 million1 in compensatory and punitive damages.2 The defendants are also responsible for paying her legal expenditures “of more than $5 million.”3
The Columbia Spectator stated the following earlier in July:
“Enrichetta Ravina, a former assistant professor of finance, filed a $30 million lawsuit in 2016 against Columbia University and Geert Bekaert, a tenured finance professor and her former mentor. Ravina alleges that when she reported Bekaert’s harassment and retaliation, the University failed to properly investigate her claims in accordance with Title IX laws and moved forward with her tenure vote, despite offering to delay it for a year, which resulted in a hostile work environment and, later, her termination.”4
Columbia, which is legally accountable for “acts of retaliation committed by its employees”5, retorted that Ravina was let go as a result of low-quality work.6
Ravina was represented by David Sanford, Alexandra Harwin, Vincent McKnight, Andrew Melzer, Melinda Koster, and Amy Donehower of Sanford Heisler Sharp.7 Their arguments highlighted a variety of areas in which Ravina’s future academic pursuits could be thwarted by her denied tenure. These included advising newer companies and working at a highly-ranked business school.8
In the end, “the jury only found in her favor on a retaliation charge. They did not agree that she was a victim of sexual harassment or gender discrimination, a finding that would have likely resulted in a substantially larger damage award…. And the jury decided against an award for either back pay or front pay.”9
In the end, Sanford Heisler Sharp, whose focuses include “civil rights and general public interest cases”, remains adamant that universities reject gender-based discrimination.10
- Byrne, John A. “Prof Wins $1.25 Million From Columbia & B-School Professor Geert Bekaert.” Poets&Quants, Poets&Quants, Inc., 27 July 2018, poetsandquants.com/2018/07/27/prof-wins-1-25-million-from-columbia-b-school-professor-geert-bekaert/. (“Prof Wins”)
- “Sanford Heisler Sharp Wins $1.25 Million Jury Award for Former Columbia University Professor, Enrichetta Ravina.” Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, 27 July 2018, sanfordheisler.com/press-release/sanford-heisler-sharp-wins-1-25-million-jury-award-for-former-columbia-university-professor-enrichetta-ravina/. (“Sanford Heisler Sharp”)
- Supra, Prof Wins
- Buzbee, Emma. “Lawsuit Claims Columbia Refused to Stop Business School Professor’s Harassment, Fired Accuser.” Columbia Daily Spectator, Spectator Publishing Company, 13 July 2018, www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2018/07/13/lawsuit-claims-columbia-refused-to-stop-business-school-professors-harassment-fired-accuser/. (“Lawsuit Claims Columbia”)
- Supra, Sanford Heisler Sharp
- Supra, Lawsuit Claims Columbia
- Supra, Sanford Heisler Sharp
- Supra, Prof Wins
- Ibid.
- Supra, Sanford Heisler Sharp