Lawyers say case will not reach trial

A former Veterinary School professor's sex discrimination case against the University will not go to trial and both parties will instead agree to an undisclosed settlement, attorneys in the case said this week. But the former professor, veterinary cancer researcher Ann Jeglum, would say little Tuesday about her ongoing negotiations with the University over issues surrounding her tenure denials in 1987 and 1989. "There's been some signing of stuff," she said simply. The University attorney handling the case, Assistant General Counsel Elizabeth O'Brien, agreed that discussions were nearly complete and said the University would have a statement on the case by early next week. "We've virtually concluded the settlement," she said. Jeglum's attorney, Jeffrey Smith, said yesterday morning that discussions with O'Brien planned for yesterday afternoon might be all that logistically stood between them and a settlement. But both Smith and O'Brien downplayed the influence of a motion filed in Philadelphia's U.S. District Court last month by the judge assigned to Jeglum's lawsuit against the University. In the motion, Judge James Giles said that by today, Jeglum must demonstrate why her case should not be dismissed because she has not followed up on it. "It hasn't been an issue so far," O'Brien said, saying that it had no effect on the timetable for discussions. Smith did suggest that the motion to dismiss provided some motivation, but that its effect was mostly psychological. "It's provided an impetus," Smith said. "[But] any time you set a bar up, lawyers attempt to jump over it or go under it. It draws a line in the sand." Jeglum filed suit against the University in December, after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that her charges of sexual discrimination might have merit. The lawsuit claims that sexual discrimination prevented Jeglum from receiving tenure or earning comparable wages to men in her department. Before filing the suit, Jeglum also went through internal University channels by filing a grievance. After a three-person faculty panel held a series of fact-finding hearings, they returned their confidential recommendations to Provost Michael Aiken. Aiken did not subsequently reverse Jeglum's tenure denial. In the federal lawsuit, Jeglum also named the Vet School and three current and past Vet School administrators as defendents along with the University. Vet School Dean Edwin Andrews, former Veterinary Medicine chairperson Kenneth Bovee and recently-resigned Veterinary Medicine chairperson Darrell Biery are named individually as well as in their positions at the Vet School. In the lawsuit, Jeglum seeks lost wages, benefits and expenses due to both her alleged tenure denial and wage discrimination while at the University. She also seeks tenure retroactive to 1989, the time of her tenure denial. Jeglum left her office in the Clinical Studies division of the Veterinary Hospital nearly a year and a half ago, and now works in a West Chester veterinary clinic and lab. While at the University, Jeglum worked in the Vet School's Small Animal Hospital and researched treatments for certain forms of cancer in dogs.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.