Rajender v. University of Minnesota | |
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Court | United States District Court for the District of Minnesota |
Full case name | Shyamala Rajender, et al. v. The University of Minnesota and the Regents of the University of Minnesota |
Decided | July 24, 1982 |
Docket nos. | Civ. No. 4-73-435 |
Citation(s) | 546 F. Supp. 158 |
Case history | |
Subsequent action(s) | 563 F. Supp. 401 (D. Minn. 1983), judgment rev'd in part, vacated in part, 730 F.2d 1110 (8th Cir. 1984). |
Court membership | |
Judge(s) sitting | Miles Lord |
Rajender v. University of Minnesota was a landmark class action lawsuit dealing with sexual discrimination at an American university. [1] The case was filed on September 5, 1973, by Shyamala Rajender, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota. [2] Rajender accused the university of engaging in employment discrimination on the basis of sex and national origin after she was turned down for a tenure-track position despite being recommended for the position by several university committees. [3] The suit was certified as a class action by the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota on February 13, 1978. [4] After eleven weeks of trial, the suit was settled in 1980 by a consent decree. [5] Rajender received $100,000 and Judge Miles Lord enjoined the university from discriminating against women on the basis of sex. [6] Rajender's attorneys were awarded approximately $2 million in fees. [7] The suit had a lasting impact on US colleges and universities. [8]
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