BIDDEFORD
The University of New England is being sued by an instructor who says she was retaliated against after she complained her supervisor was sexually harassing her.
In a civil lawsuit, Lara Carlson claims she was illegally discriminated against in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The case was filed in York County Superior Court in January, and was moved to U.S. District Court earlier this month.
UNE attorney Pat Peard said in a phone interview this morning that it will be very clear, once all the facts are out in the court process, that “UNE treated her very professionally, and has not violated any of her rights.”
According to court documents, Calrson was hired in 2009 by the university to teach in the Exercise and Sports Department of Westbrook College of Health Professions.
Carlson alleges that shortly after the department’s chairman, Paul Visich, was hired in 2012, he began making sexual comments to her, sent her sexually charged emails and touched her inappropriately.
Carlson claims she “properly and promptly” notified UNE’s human resources department of Visich’s behavior, but that UNE never made a formal report of her complaint, according to court documents. UNE took no action against Visich, according to the lawsuit, and he continued to be her supervisor.
Following her complaint against him, Visich gave Carlson a negative performance evaluation and removed her as head of the New England Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine college bowl, which she had led for four years, the lawsuit claims.
In 2014, Carlson was removed from the Exercise and Sport Performance Department, and became the only full-time processor at UNE who worked outside of a department, according to court documents.
In 2015, Carlson claims, she was assigned to teach classes outside her area of expertise, and Visich led a campaign to successfully remove her from the department’s website.
Carlson also alleges that UNE removed her from teaching classes after filing a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission in November 2014, and gave her a “drastically reduced” merit raise.
UNE, under Peard, has asking the court to dismiss the case and award UNE attorney fees and other costs that the court deems fit.
UNE states in the case that Carlson failed to take any corrective opportunities provided by the university.
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