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Ex-Prof, Fired For Plagiarism, Sues Columbia For $200 Million
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 22, 2009
Modified Apr 22, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 22, 2009
Modified Apr 22, 2009
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Madonna Constantine, a former professor at Columbia's Teachers College, is suing the university for $200 million. The lawsuit claims Columbia has defamed her by dismissing her after their plagiarism probe; the Columbia Spectator reports, "The introduction to the 92-page complaint is titled 'the academic lynching of Professor Madonna Constantine,' and states that these allegations were part of an 'invidious scheme to ruin the scholarly reputation of the Plaintiff through a conspiracy to drum up and eventually publish false claims against the Plaintiff.'" (It should be noted two of Constantine's accusers are minorities, one black, one Asian.) A Teachers College spokeperson said, "This case is totally without merit, and we intend to defend against it rigorously." Constantine's tenure at Teachers College included a 2007 incident where a noose was found hanging on her office door; no suspects were ever found.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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