A prominent professor at a major university is suing his employer for alleged discrimination and retaliation, bringing to light serious accusations of unfair treatment and procedural misconduct. On June 21, 2024, Dr. Chitrabhanu Bhattacharya filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Bhattacharya, a distinguished professor at the University’s Katz Graduate School of Business, alleges that he has been subjected to multiple adverse employment actions based on his race, color, sex, national origin, age, and disability. According to the complaint, Dr. Bhattacharya's troubles began when he was placed on paid administrative leave on June 5, 2023, pending an investigation by the University's Office of Compliance, Investigations, and Ethics (CIE Office). The investigation accused him of verbal sexual harassment and improper use of university resources for personal social media accounts—allegations that Dr. Bhattacharya vehemently denies.
Despite his consistent performance and accolades—including awards such as "Distinguished Professor of the Year"—Dr. Bhattacharya claims that he was not given due process during the investigation. The CIE Office allegedly refused to provide him or his counsel with a copy of their investigative report or details about the evidence against him. "The sanctions have damaged my career and reputation without any due process hearing," said Dr. Bhattacharya in his complaint.
Dr. Bhattacharya also asserts that there is sufficient evidence to infer discrimination against him compared to other faculty members who are not part of his protected classes. He highlights the case of Professor Charles Hadlock who faced more severe allegations but received far lighter sanctions from Dean Gene Anderson. "The abled younger white employee had not made any contribution to the University while I had contributed substantially," noted Dr. Bhattacharya.
In addition to discrimination claims under various federal statutes including Title IX and 42 U.S.C §1981, Dr. Bhattacharya accuses the University of failing to accommodate his disability stemming from chronic pain due to a past car accident. He argues that instead of accommodating his needs or engaging in an interactive process to find reasonable accommodations, the University imposed maximum penalties on him without following its own progressive discipline policy.
The lawsuit seeks comprehensive relief including back pay, front pay, emotional distress damages, medical harm damages, reputation harm damages, reinstatement to previous positions including Director for the Center for Sustainable Business and holder of H.J Zoffer Chair in Sustainability and Ethics; attorney’s fees; costs; and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
Representing Dr. Bhattacharya are attorneys James B. Lieber, Thomas M. Huber, and Jacob M. Simon from Lieber Hammer Huber & Paul P.C., while Judge Nora Barry Fischer presides over this case identified as Civil Action No: 24-00900.