University shells out over $1M to professor fired for gender comments

The University of Louisville in Kentucky agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to a psychology professor harassed and fired for speaking against transgender procedures, according to a press release from the professor’s attorneys. In 2017, Dr. Allan Josephson, who was then head of the school’s Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, offered personal opinions during a Heritage Foundation panel discussion. He shared concerns about children receiving transgender procedures, describing those procedures as misguided attempts to treat gender dysphoria. After nearly 15 years of employment, the school refused to renew Josephson’s contract after his panel appearance, according to Alliance Defending Freedom, the nonprofit that represents Josephson.

How was Josephson harassed before being fired? The school’s LGBT center pressured administrators to demote Josephson to a junior faculty member and remove him from teaching in the classroom, according to Josephson’s team. Administrators kept tabs on Josephson in order to build a documented case against his reappointment by reaching out to alumni for complaints, according to Josephson’s team.

A federal appeals court in September ordered that Josephson’s case go to trial and ruled that university officials can be held accountable for censoring or retaliating against professors. Alliance Defending Freedom shared the school’s settlement agreement in a Monday statement. The settlement will cover damages and attorneys’ fees for Josephson. The case was formally dismissed with prejudice on Monday, meaning the case can not be brought against Josephson again.