A federal judge dismissed on Thursday, March 6 a 2023 lawsuit filed by Zack K. De Piero against the school, Penn State trustees, and Penn State administrators.
De Piero, a former writing professor at Penn State Abington, alleged in his lawsuit that the school violated Title VII and the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act by “creat[ing] a racially hostile environment”.
Judge Wendy Beetlestone of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania wrote that to succeed on his hostile work environment claim, De Piero must show that: “(1) he suffered intentional discrimination because of his protected status; (2) ‘the discrimination was severe or pervasive;’ (3) it ‘detrimentally affected’ him; and, (4) it ‘would detrimentally affect a reasonable person in like circumstances’”. To determine employer liability, “the plaintiff also must show that respondeat superior liability exists.”…