Former law school dean Sujit Choudhry Settles sexual harassment suit with accuser

SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — Sujit Choudhry, the former dean of the UC Berkeley law school, reached a settlement in a legal case in which his former assistant was the accuser. He has agreed to pay $50,000 to charity and $50,000 in legal fees to settle the case, according to statements released by the university and by his former assistant, Tyann Sorrell.

In a statement released Friday, Sorrell said the $50,000 payment to charity represented a “significant financial contribution to a number of organizations of my choice that deal with the serious issues of sexual harassment and abuse.”

Sorrell’s attorney called the terms of the settlement a “minor slap on the wrist” for Choudhry, and that her client is “continuing to heal and struggle.” She said her client was not permitted to comment further under the terms of the agreement. The agreement was signed on March 31, Sorrell’s attorney said the delayed release of the announcement was “intended to minimize student and staff reaction” to the news of the settlement.

In a statement, the university said all litigation in the case “has now been dismissed.”

Sorrell had sued Choudhry and the university over the allegations and Choudhry, an Asian, sued the university for singling him out because of his race. He is being allowed to continue his two-year sabbatical through May 2018 and keep his research funding and travel expenses. In her lawsuit, Sorrell alleged Choudhry kissed, hugged and touched her. In her statement, Sorrell said she “look(s) forward to a day when sexual harassment and abuse is no long denied, enabled, ignored or tolerated.”