Teresa Buchanan appeals district court ruling on her termination from LSU

Former Louisiana State University professor Teresa Buchanan filed a notice of appeal yesterday, seeking review of a ruling from the the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana dismissing her claims against her former employer over her firing.

Buchanan is seeking review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit of the district court’s decision to grant summary judgment to LSU President F. King Alexander and three top university administrators.

Buchanan filed suit in January 2016 after being fired by LSU in 2015 — over the contrary recommendation of a faculty panel — for violating the university’s sexual harassment policy through the occasional use of profanity and sexual language while teaching. The appeal asks ask the Fifth Circuit to overturn the district court’s holding that Buchanan’s termination did not violate her First Amendment rights.

FIRE is sponsoring Buchanan’s lawsuit as part of our Stand Up For Speech Litigation Project, and she is represented by Robert Corn-Revere, Ronald London, and Lisa Zycherman of Davis Wright Tremaine.

We will continue to keep readers updated on the progress of the appeal in this highly important case for faculty rights and academic freedom.

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