Seriously! :-) The thing that gets me is that, even if you accept that she was wronged (and that seems less than certain), the injured party walked away with $5,000 in her pocket and the lawyer walked away with $16,000. The only one who really came out ahead was the lawyer. Our tort system is totally screwed up.
Rob Sent from my Windows Phone -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 10:04 AM To: gatortalk googlegroups <[email protected]> Subject: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] [SUN]: UF to pay ex-doctoral student $35K [Stewart] Dang. Whatever happened to settling things by going to Joe's Deli and downing pitcher after pitcher until you forgot what you were arguing about in the first place and became best friends forever? -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: UF to pay ex-doctoral student $35K [Stewart] From: Shane Ford <[email protected]> Date: Wed, February 24, 2010 9:57 am To: [email protected] UF to pay ex-doctoral student $35K Professors accused of discriminating, making disparaging remarks. By Thomas Stewart Gainesville SUN Correspondent Published: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, February 22, 2010 at 10:17 p.m. A lawsuit against UF was dismissed on Feb. 16 after UF settled out of court, agreeing to pay a former doctoral student in the College of Medicine $35,000. Christina Gavegnano accused two professors in the college of misappropriating national research funds, discriminating against her because of her disability and making disparaging remarks to her. Gavegnano, who had glaucoma and another eye condition that affected her sight, alleged in the suit that she was supposed to receive a lab assistant and other aid under a National Institutes of Health disability grant, but that the money was spent on other things. She also alleges that, when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2006, she was forced by UF to take a leave of absence, during which time her tuition was not paid, as the grant stipulated, causing her to lose her student status and health insurance while she was undergoing radiation treatment. The suit claims that Gavegnano's supervisor and assigned mentor, Maureen Goodenow, a professor in the department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine, failed to provide guidance and assistance with her studies and that she made inappropriate comments related to Gavegnano's disability. Referring to the possibility of Gavegnano being hit by a car, Goodenow allegedly said, "[T]he headline will read 'graduate student with handicap smashed by car, [while crossing the street],' " according to the suit. In another comment alluding to Gavegnano's glaucoma, Goodenow allegedly said, "Your eye will shrivel up, then blow up, and pop right out of your head." UF denied the allegations in a response to the suit. Goodenow, reached by e-mail, referred questions to Melanie Ross, the Health Science Center's spokeswoman. Ross said in an e-mailed statement that UF conducted an investigation and found no wrongdoing but decided to settle with Gavegnano to save on legal costs. "There was no misconduct on the part of our faculty members and therefore no disciplinary action of any kind was warranted," she wrote. "The settlement agreement should not be interpreted as an admission of liability or wrongdoing." Gavegnano also filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations, which she agreed to drop as part of the settlement. She filed a formal grievance with UF as well. Wayne McCormack, the second professor named in the suit, is accused of telling Gavegnano that she likely would not receive a degree from UF if she filed the grievance. Included in the suit is an e-mail sent from McCormack, an associate dean and associate professor in Gavegnano's former department, to Goodenow in which he says he will try to "sweep" one of Gavegnano's complaints "under the rug." E-mails and phone messages left with McCormack were not returned. The lawyer representing UF, McCormack and Goodenow referred questions to his clients. Archibald Thomas of Jacksonville, Gavegnano's lawyer, said he believes justice was done in this case. He said his client withdrew from UF but is now enrolled at Emory University, where she is happy. "One way of looking at this is - being denied the Ph.D. from the University of Florida was the best thing that happened to her because it resulted in her going to Emory," Thomas said. Gavegnano declined to comment, citing her lawyer's advice. As a result of her fight with cancer, Gavegnano recently received an Ulman Cancer Fund scholarship and was featured on an episode of HGTV's "Deserving Design," in which her apartment was given a makeover. Gavegnano's settlement was divided between her and her lawyer, with $16,000 going to attorney's fees and legal costs, while $14,000 was designated for her medical expenses and the remaining $5,000 for lost salary as a graduate assistant and "non-economic damages." Half the money came from the college's budget and the rest from a state insurance fund, Ross said. The settlement included a letter from Goodenow and McCormack as well. "We regret any distress you may have experienced and we are hopeful that you will now be able to look forward to a long and rewarding career in your field," the letter reads. -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
