Denver University’s Sturm College of Law

Law Professor Sues University Over Wage Discrimination

A University of Denver law professor is suing the university for alleged gender and wage discrimination.
Rashmi Goel, who is a tenured associate professor at Sturm College of Law, filed an Equal Pay Act lawsuit alleging that she earns roughly $30,000 less than the average salary of other associate professors, the ABA Journal reports.
SECOND LAWSUIT
Last year, the law school settled a previous lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), for $2.7 million. The law school, as a result of the settlement, internally published salaries, as the Denver Post reported.
“There was a history of how long it must have been going on, in the wake of the other lawsuit,” Goel tells the ABA Journal. “It’s clear to me that the university knew, and did nothing to rectify it.”
LONGEST TENURE, LOWEST SALARY
Goel, who joined the university as an assistant professor in 2002, was granted tenure and given the associate professor title in 2009.
However, the internally published salary list revealed that her salary was significantly lower than professors with the same title and even less experience.
“Of the 11 associate professors who earn more than plaintiff, ten are male and/or non-Asian. Plaintiff earns $40,000 to $50,000 less annually in base salary alone than the associate professors who have the most comparable years of experience to plaintiff,” the complaint states.
UNIVERSITY RESPONSE
The university’s media relations manager, Jon Stone, tells the ABA Journal that the school is in an ongoing process of salary evaluations as a result of the EEOC.
According to Stone, the school expects to make salary adjustments starting August 1.
In an official statement, the university says it cares about “fairness, equity and opportunity.”
Sources: ABA Journal, Denver Post