Professor receives six-figure settlement following discrimination lawsuit against CU Boulder

Feb. 14—The University of Colorado Boulder has reached a settlement agreement with a professor who filed a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit in June.

CU Boulder Law Professor Paul Campos netted a low six-figure settlement. The university agreed to pay all his legal fees and permanently remove Law School Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss as his supervisor. Both parties signed a dismissal of all claims on Tuesday.

"I'm extremely happy," Campos said. "I got substantial compensation, and more important than that, I had (Innis) removed as my supervisor permanently."

In the settlement agreement, CU Boulder denies any wrongdoing or responsibility.

"The University of Colorado Boulder has reached a settlement with Paul Campos," CU Boulder spokesperson Nicole Mueksch said. "The university had been in negotiations with Professor Campos in an effort to resolve this dispute since before his lawsuit was filed. Prior to reaching the settlement, Professor Campos dismissed his claims against Dean Inniss and Chancellor DiStefano."

Campos claimed in the lawsuit that he was discriminated against with unequal pay because of his Latino ethnicity and punished for taking paternity leave as evidenced by a low annual review score. When Campos reported the discrimination, he alleged he faced retaliation from Inniss and the university.

Mueksch said Inniss will remain dean of the Law School.

"We do not typically speak to personnel matters, but given that the university denies any wrongdoing, we will not have a change in leadership," Mueksch said.

Dan Williams, Campos' attorney, said the settlement was a great outcome.

"(Campos) is really pleased that the university did see the need to pay all of his attorney fees and give him a substantial amount on top of that," Williams said. "I'm pleased for him and proud he stood up for himself."

Campos said the lawsuit was a difficult process and put a strain on his relationship with the administration. But Campos said he has no plans to leave CU Boulder.

"It was quite stressful of course, you don't like to sue your employer," Campos said. "It's a very unpleasant thing to do."

Williams said the lawsuit is wrapped up, but the investigation with CU Boulder's Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance is still ongoing. OIEC investigates internal complaints of discrimination, and Campos filed a complaint with the office in August of 2022.

"It's in some ways revictimizing to say you have this process ... and then have it not be real in the sense it can take this long to get a result," Williams said, adding, "They still have not come to their final conclusions."