A lawsuit has been filed against the University of La Verne by a former professor, who claims that she was compelled to resign in 2022 due to backlash from the then-president of the school. The plaintiff alleges that she experienced disparate pay compared to her male colleagues and faced retaliation, harassment, and discrimination. She is seeking $1 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.
The University of La Verne has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
The plaintiff, Kristan Venegas, previously held positions at USC’s Rossier School of Education as a professor of clinical education and a research associate in the Pullias Center for Higher Education. She has been recognized as a Remarkable Woman of the Year by USC and as an Emerging Leader by the National Academic Advising Association.
Venegas worked at ULV as a professor, associate dean, and later became an associate provost in July 2021. In the following month, she lodged a complaint with the administration about her lower salary compared to male associate deans and the previous male associate provost, according to the lawsuit.
In response, then-ULV President Devorah Lieberman allegedly retaliated against Venegas by taking away her classes, denying her requests for equal pay, micro-managing her work, and subjecting her to monthly meetings. Venegas also received poor performance reviews, was demoted, and faced false rumors about her mental health spread by Lieberman, according to the lawsuit.
Lieberman also allegedly disparaged Venegas’ work, attempted to replace her with two Caucasian males, and intentionally mispronounced her last name. This led Venegas to file a complaint against Lieberman.
An investigation was conducted against Lieberman in response to multiple employee complaints regarding her alleged bullying, toxic work culture, retaliation, and unlawful discrimination. Venegas was interviewed as part of this investigation and in March 2022, Lieberman confronted her about it.
As a result, the plaintiff faced isolation and further retaliation from Lieberman’s friends and supporters.
In May 2022, Venegas had her teaching duties removed and two months later she requested a medical leave to address her emotional distress caused by the workplace. She was also removed from her supervisor role at the Randall Lewis Center for Well-Being and Research. In October, Venegas informed the ULV administration that she felt “forced to resign.” The ULV president, Devorah Lieberman, retired in the same month after serving for 12 years.
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