Spring Break
"N"-word lawsuit against professor dismissed
Derek Simons
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: News
UMKC sociology professor Dr. Peter Singelmann was on an August vacation last year in Mexico when he heard the news. He had been sued for something he said in class eight months earlier. Now, a full year after a classroom discussion where he used the "N" word, his name has been cleared.
On Jan. 17, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John M. Torrence granted Singelmann's motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed against him by graduate student DeLana Sattarin on Aug. 2.
The judge also dismissed the counts II and III of the lawsuit, for slander and discrimination respectively, filed against the University of Missouri (UM) System. The first count, for breach of contract between Sattarin and the UM System, remains open. The judge took up the UM attorney's request for a "more definite statement," meaning the university wants complete clarification on its contractual rights.
The incident cited in the lawsuit occurred Jan. 18, 2007, when a student in Singelmann's class brought up the topic of the Minuteman in Texas and said she thought there should be limits to what people are allowed to say, according to Singelmann. In the discussion on free speech that followed, Singelmann said he was in agreement but the U.S. Constitution wasn't, and he gave examples of protected speech. He repeated the "N" word several times, as well as using a wide variety of vulgarities.
"I got carried away with it, saying all the wrong things, vulgarities, racial insults, all that sort of thing," Singelmann said. "And I said it may be wrong but you're allowed to do it constitutionally. … I totally disagree with the radical libertarian thinking when it comes to expression of free speech. There should be limits. I said it only as an example of what I think we shouldn't say and I critiqued the American judiciary system for allowing people to say it."
Sattarin wrote a letter of complaint to former Provost Bruce Bubacz. She requested a full refund for the course, both a verbal and a written apology from Singelmann and a three-strike rule for professors with a third offense resulting in termination. Affirmative Action Director Grace Hernandez conducted an investigation which, on April 5, 2007, concluded the claim of racial discrimination was unsubstantiated, but asked Singelmann to apologize, issued him a letter of reprimand, required him to attend sensitivity training and gave Sattarin her refund.
On Jan. 17, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge John M. Torrence granted Singelmann's motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed against him by graduate student DeLana Sattarin on Aug. 2.
The judge also dismissed the counts II and III of the lawsuit, for slander and discrimination respectively, filed against the University of Missouri (UM) System. The first count, for breach of contract between Sattarin and the UM System, remains open. The judge took up the UM attorney's request for a "more definite statement," meaning the university wants complete clarification on its contractual rights.
The incident cited in the lawsuit occurred Jan. 18, 2007, when a student in Singelmann's class brought up the topic of the Minuteman in Texas and said she thought there should be limits to what people are allowed to say, according to Singelmann. In the discussion on free speech that followed, Singelmann said he was in agreement but the U.S. Constitution wasn't, and he gave examples of protected speech. He repeated the "N" word several times, as well as using a wide variety of vulgarities.
"I got carried away with it, saying all the wrong things, vulgarities, racial insults, all that sort of thing," Singelmann said. "And I said it may be wrong but you're allowed to do it constitutionally. … I totally disagree with the radical libertarian thinking when it comes to expression of free speech. There should be limits. I said it only as an example of what I think we shouldn't say and I critiqued the American judiciary system for allowing people to say it."
Sattarin wrote a letter of complaint to former Provost Bruce Bubacz. She requested a full refund for the course, both a verbal and a written apology from Singelmann and a three-strike rule for professors with a third offense resulting in termination. Affirmative Action Director Grace Hernandez conducted an investigation which, on April 5, 2007, concluded the claim of racial discrimination was unsubstantiated, but asked Singelmann to apologize, issued him a letter of reprimand, required him to attend sensitivity training and gave Sattarin her refund.
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Amazon Herbs
posted 2/17/08 @ 7:36 PM CST
I think that a lawsuit for using a word is in poor taste considering that at another college, a half a dozen students were killed.
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