Harvard professors drop support for academic accused of sexual harassment in lawsuit

Dr John Comaroff has been placed on administrative leave for spring semester

Harvard University (Getty Images)

Harvard professors have dropped their support for a university academic accused in a lawsuit of sexually harassing and threatening the careers of three women.

Professor John Comaroff was placed on administrative leave by the prestigious Ivy League school, which has now been sued amid allegations officials ignored allegations against the scholar for years.

After the lawsuit was filed in Boston federal court, 34 of 39 professors who had signed a public letter of support for Dr Comaroff reversed their position and issued a new letter saying they had made a mistake.

Some of the retractors include prominent academics, such as Henry Louis Gates Jr, Paul Farmer, Jamaica Kincaid, and Jill Lepore, according to The Boston Globe.

“We failed to appreciate the impact that this would have on our students, and we were lacking full information about the case. We are committed to all students experiencing Harvard as a safe and equitable institution for teaching and learning,” the new letter stated.

Graduate student Lilia Kilburn alleges in the suit that Dr Comaroff, an anthropology and African and African American studies professor, repeatedly subjected her to forcible kissing and groping.

The academic is also accused of cutting Ms Kilburn off from other professors and derailing her degree progress.

Margaret Czerwienski and Amulya Mandava, also graduate students, also filed a suit in Boston federal court against the university, claiming that the professor threatened to harm their academic careers if they reported the allegations.

Ms Kilburn says that she took a trip with her same-sex partner, and repeatedly used her pronouns to deter his unwanted attention.

She told The New York Times that in response, Dr Comaroff told her that in parts of Africa she could be forced into “corrective rape” or killed if she was in a same-sex relationship.

And she claims that Dr Comaroff made the comment about rape with “a tone of enjoyment.”

(Harvard University)

“Ms. Kilburn sat frozen in shock, while professor Comaroff continued for approximately five minutes,” the suit said.

“The message sent by Harvard’s actions alleged in the complaint is clear: students should shut up. It is the price to pay for a degree,” Russell Kornblith of Sanford Heisler Sharp, the women’s law firm, said in a statement.

Dr Comaroff is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, but his lawyers say that he “categorically denies ever harassing or retaliating against any student”.

“Regarding Ms. Kilburn, professor Comaroff did not kiss her or touch her inappropriately at any time,” the statement said.

And they stated that the comments about rape were given as safety advice as Kilburn and her partner were traveling to Cameroon where homosexuality is illegal.

All three plaintiffs lodged complaints with Harvard’s Office for Dispute Resolution in July 2020 claiming that the university was in violation of Title IX, the federal law that bars gender discrimination in education.

Harvard has already found that Dr Comaroff engaged in verbal violations of policy over gender-based harassment and professional conduct.

But it has not found the academic responsible for claims of inappropriate physical or sexual conduct.

The issue has split the university’s academic ranks, with 90 academics signing an open letter backing their colleague’s character.

But 50 others signed an open letter in response, arguing that the scholars had thrown their support behind him too quickly.

Dr Comaroff was placed on administrative leave by the university for the spring semester.

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial, unspecified damages, and a judgment that Harvard violated the women’s rights.