Professor Joseph A. Petry has won the first round in his $7.9 million lawsuit against the University of Illinois. In a ruling handed down last week, the Illinois Court of Claims denied the University’s motion to dismiss Professor Petry’s lawsuit and held that his claim, including his allegation of lost wages and other damages, “states a cause of action” and can proceed.
The Complaint alleges that the University deliberately breached a resignation agreement it entered into with Professor Petry by continuing an investigation into allegations of misconduct just days after it had agreed to end the investigation. The court’s ruling notes that the University admitted “that it continued the investigation in violation of the Agreement.”