Rajender v. University of Minnesota was a landmark class action lawsuit dealing with sexual discrimination at an American university.[1] The case was filed on September 5, 1973, by Shyamala Rajender, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota.[2] Rajender accused the university of engaging in employment discrimination on the basis of sex and national origin after she was turned down for a tenure-track position despite being recommended for the position by several university committees.[3] The suit was certified as a class action by the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota on February 13, 1978.[4] After eleven weeks of trial, the suit was settled in 1980 by a consent decree.[5] Rajender received $100,000 and Judge Miles Lord enjoined the university from discriminating against women on the basis of sex.[6] Rajender's attorneys were awarded approximately $2 million in fees.[7] The suit had a lasting impact on US colleges and universities.[8]
^Kohlstedt, Sally G.; Fischer, Suzanne M. (2009). "Unstable Networks Among Women in Academe: the Legal Case of Shyamala Rajender". Centaurus. 51 (1): 37–62. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0498.2008.00131.x. PMID19618550.
^Leap, Terry L. (1993). Tenure, discrimination, and the courts. Cornell University. p. 186.