RumbergerKirk Partner Suzanne A. Singer Wins Case For Broward Community College
RumbergerKirk Partner Suzanne A. Singer Wins Case For Broward Community College
Miami office
Suzanne A. Singer, a partner with RumbergerKirk in Miami recently won a defense verdict in Federal Court in and for the Southern District of Florida for the District Board of Trustees of Broward Community College (BCC).
BCC was sued by an individual who filed a religious discrimination and retaliation complaint under 42 USC section 1983 and The Florida Civil Rights Act. The plaintiff – a Catholic adjunct instructor employed by the defendant – claimed that he was given an unfair course-load assignment based on his religious affiliation. The plaintiff further argued that other instructors belonging to different religious affiliations – namely Evangelical Protestant – were, in fact, given preferential course-load assignments. Likewise, the Plaintiff claimed that he was retaliated against when BCC non-renewed him as an adjunct for filing an EEOC complaint. He also claimed that BCC retaliated against him for speech that was protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution when he complained of matters of public importance including that BCC’s policies were designed to encourage the teaching of a particular religious viewpoint and the expenditure of public funds to aid a particular religious agenda was adopted.
The court granted Ms. Singer’s motion for summary judgment on behalf of BCC and Dr. Winston Thompson, Department Chair of the Social Science Department, with regard to the retaliation claims under 42 USC section 1983 and The Florida Civil Rights Act.
The case then proceeded to trial on behalf of BCC for the discrimination claim under The Florida Civil Rights Act. During the three-day trial, Ms. Singer maintained that the plaintiff was not discriminated against in course-load assignment and the disparate treatment, if any, was for reasons other then his religious affiliation.
The jury of eight (8) men and women agreed with Ms. Singer’s arguments and ruled in favor of BCC.
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RumbergerKirk provides litigation and counseling services in a wide range of civil practice areas including products liability, commercial litigation, intellectual property, environmental, employment, insurance, professional liability, health care and administrative law. Offices are located in Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Tallahassee and Birmingham, Alabama.
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