Shyamala Rajender v. University of Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Shyamala Rajender v. University of Minnesota was a landmark class action
lawsuit dealing with sexual discrimination at an American university. The case was filed on September 5, 1973 by Shyamala Rajender, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota
. 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. The suit was certified as a class action
by the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
in 1978. After eleven weeks of trial, the suit was settled in 1980 by a consent decree
. Rajender received $100,000 and Judge Miles Lord
enjoined the university from discriminating against women on the basis of sex. Rajender's attorneys were awarded approximately $2 million in fees.
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
lawsuit dealing with sexual discrimination at an American university. The case was filed on September 5, 1973 by Shyamala Rajender, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. 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
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
-track position despite being recommended for the position by several university committees. The suit was certified as a class action
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
by the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapolis and Saint Paul...
in 1978. After eleven weeks of trial, the suit was settled in 1980 by a consent decree
Consent decree
A consent decree is a final, binding judicial decree or judgment memorializing a voluntary agreement between parties to a suit in return for withdrawal of a criminal charge or an end to a civil litigation...
. Rajender received $100,000 and Judge Miles Lord
Miles Lord
Miles Welton Lord is a former federal judge, appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota by President Lyndon B. Johnson on February 10, 1966 to fill the vacancy left by Judge Dennis F. Donovan. He served as chief judge on the district court from 1981–1985 and...
enjoined the university from discriminating against women on the basis of sex. Rajender's attorneys were awarded approximately $2 million in fees.