A bench trial is underway in Topeka in the case of a former Emporia State University employee against the institution and some of its current and past administrators.
Trial began Tuesday in the case of Angelica Hale v Emporia State. Hale says ESU, as well as former president Jackie Vietti, former School of Library and Information Management dean Gwen Alexander and current provost David Cordle, retaliated against her for reporting racial discrimination and for protesting racism at ESU, which she says were activities that are protected by Title VII under federal law and the First Amendment. Hale also contends ESU, Alexander, Cordle and Vietti refused to renew her contract and published false and misleading information about her.
Hale’s case is separate but related to a lawsuit filed against ESU by her husband, Melvin Hale, which essentially makes the same arguments against ESU as well as Vietti, Cordle, other current administrators like Kevin Johnson, Ray Lauber, Mirah Dow and Gary Wyatt and former administrator Judy Anderson. Both Angelica and Melvin Hale are seeking $10 million from the university in their respective cases.
Both were at one time employed by Emporia State, with Melvin Hale serving as a professor in the SLIM department and Angelica Hale as an assistant to Alexander. The couple says it found a racial epithet on a notebook in April 2014 and since then has consistently accused ESU of failing to investigate the incident properly or take necessary action, minimizing the Hales’ claims and creating a hostile work environment. Angelica Hale resigned her position before a first round of formal legal proceedings began against ESU in the fall of 2015. Melvin Hale’s contract was not renewed when it expired in the spring of 2016. The current round of lawsuits was filed in December 2016.
Trial in Angelica Hale’s case could last into next week. Preliminary court proceedings continue in Melvin Hale’s case.
The university has declined comment as both cases have continued.
