A Florida A&M University law professor is suing her employer over what she says is gender discrimination and unequal pay.
Law Professor Jennifer Smith says she’s been repeatedly denied a promotion as retaliation for requesting public records about professor pay. She also alleges the FAMU Law School administrators hire men at rate rates than women and pay them more. Smith, an assistant professor, was granted tenure in 2010 but has been denied a promotion to full professor since then.
According to the Tampa Tribune, Smith claims in her complaint that an administrator threatened her. Her complaint also cites an American Bar Association report from two years ago that noted faculty concerns about a hostile work environment for women and gay faculty members.
Smith was denied a promotion again last month. The suit says Smith asked FAMU President Elmira Mangum for a reason for the denial; Mangum “responded immediately” that she agreed with the decision not to promote Smith but didn’t explain why.
