The former law school dean at UC Berkeley, who resigned while facing sexual harassment allegations and later had his pay cut and was temporarily barred from campus, has dropped his racial discrimination suit against the university.
Sujit Choudhry filed the suit in September seeking to prevent the university’s Academic Senate from holding hearings that could result in divesting him of his tenure and job security as a law professor. Choudhry, who is of Indian descent, contended he was being treated more harshly than two white colleagues also accused of sexual harassment — Graham Fleming, a former executive vice chancellor at Berkeley who remains a tenured professor, and renowned astronomer Geoffrey Marcy, who resigned as a professor last fall.
Last week, however, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg denied Choudhry’s request to halt the proceedings. Seeborg said Choudhry could raise his constitutional challenges at the university’s hearings, where he will have legal representation and the right to present evidence, and could appeal an adverse ruling in the state courts.
Seeborg rejected the former dean’s claims of bias by UC President Janet Napolitano and by the Academic Senate, which recently praised the former assistant who accused Choudhry of harassing her. The senate commended the assistant, Tyann Sorrell, for outstanding service to the university.
Choudhry dropped his suit on Tuesday, without explanation. His lawyers could not be reached for comment...
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