An Iowa state judge has denied a motion by the University of Iowa to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a professor of radiology who claims he was the victim of harassment, retaliation, and racial bias at the institution.
Dr. Malik Juweid filed the lawsuit in May 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.
Juweid claims that he was subjected to discrimination and harassment at the university because he is of Arab descent and is from Jordan, and that his career suffered as a result. He has also filed complaints against the university with state and federal equal rights offices.
The University of Iowa filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on a number of legal grounds. In an August 26 ruling, however, Judge Robert Sosalla of the Iowa District Court in Johnson County denied the motion, allowing the lawsuit to go forward.
Juweid told AuntMinnie.com that the ruling is a key step in his effort to prevent what he says are the university's attempts to terminate his employment. Juweid is a tenured professor at the university.
"This is an important initial victory for me, and the next step will be to file an injunction next week to prevent my termination," Juweid said.
University of Iowa spokesperson Tom Moore declined to comment on the ruling, citing the pending litigation.
