Friday, September 13, 2013

The University of Toledo Sued by Chinese Student on Discrimination

Chinese student Zhong Wanyun 'Emily' and her husband Liu Yizhou filed a legal complaint in the Lucas County Common Pleas Court against the University of Toledo and a professor Dr. Vijay Devabhaktuni on August 30, 2013.

Zhong et al vs. Devabhaktuni et al. (CI-0201304183) alleging being intentionally and purposefully harassed, humiliated and frightened, including threatening with shooting with a gun. The professor also called the plaintiff an idiot along other abusive languages. The case alleged patterns of discrimination against Chinese students in classroom even after repeated protests.

The professor was placed on administrative leave after the incidents were made known. However, no future actions were taken when the professor did not follow the school sanctions.

    The claims include:
  1. Race or Ethnicity Discrimination
  2. Harassment and Verbal Assault
  3. Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress
  4. Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
  5. Breach of Contract
  6. Civil Rights Deprivation
  7. Loss of Consortium

Dr. Vijay Devabhaktuni is an associate professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toledo. Dr. Devabhaktuni received the B. Eng degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and the M. Sc. Degree in Physics both from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan, India. Dr. Devabhaktuni's specialities are applied electromagnetics, biomedical applications of wireless sensor networks, computer aided design, among others.

The University of Toledo is public university in the state of Ohio. It is listed in the US News & World Report's college ranking as 'calculated by not published' national university.

As a public institution, if lost the case, the taxpayers in Ohio will foot the bill for the University of Toledo on this discrimination case.

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