Home      Login

Abstract: 

Varlesi v. Wayne State University (WSU) involved a graduate social work student in a two-year program that included both classroom course work and hands-on field work under the tutelage of a licensed qualified social worker. When the graduate student was given a failing evaluation, Varlesi filed suit claiming that her field placements had been the result of personal bias on the part of her field instructor, that her faculty advisor did not investigate the bias charge as university policy required, and that her failing grade was the direct result of pregnancy discrimination and retaliation in violation of the federal Title IX and a Michigan anti-discrimination law. The case is an important one for administrators to understand, because Ms. Varlesi prevailed in a jury trial, won a sizeable award against WSU, and because the facts introduced at trial make it clear that the university handled every aspect of the situation as poorly as it could have.

Keywords: Varlesi v. Wayne State University; “same actor” defense; future damages

Affiliations:  1: Co-Editor; 2: Co-Editor.