A nuclear medicine physician involved in a dispute with his employer, the University of Iowa, has filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming that he was the victim of harassment, retaliation, and racial bias.
Dr. Malik Juweid filed the lawsuit on May 6 in Iowa District Court in Johnson County against a number of university officials, including Dr. Laurie Fajardo, chair of the university's department of radiology, and Dr. Michael Graham, PhD, director of the division of nuclear medicine.
The lawsuit is the latest turn in a dispute that went public in December, when local newspapers ran articles on a discrimination complaint that Juweid filed with the university claiming that foreign-born faculty working in the radiology department were harassed and suffered discrimination. Juweid also filed complaints with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Iowa Board of Medicine.
Last week's lawsuit marks the latest turn in the dispute. In the legal complaint, Juweid levies a number of accusations against the department, including the following charges:
- The University of Iowa allegedly retaliated against him after he raised concerns regarding what he felt were unnecessary PET/CT scans being performed on children at the university.
- Fajardo allegedly referred to Juweid as an "academic terrorist" in a conversation with another physician, implying that he might be violent. Fajardo also allegedly discriminated against employees of other national origins; meanwhile, Juweid's complaints to university administrators were disregarded, the complaint states.
- University officials allegedly defamed Juweid's character by using the term "academic terrorist" and by referring to him as a "disruptive physician." This interfered with Juweid's ability to find employment at another institution, and culminated in the placement of Juweid on administrative leave in January 2011.
The complaint charges the university with violating both state and federal law and requests nominal, compensatory, punitive, and other fees of an unspecified amount.
University of Iowa spokesperson Tom Moore declined to comment on the litigation, citing university policy that prohibits discussing matters that involve pending litigation.
