The university allegedly launched a sham investigation and tried to sabotage new job offers
A California appeals court has cleared the way for two professors to pursue retaliation claims against their university employer after reporting workplace harassment.
In a decision filed on March 24, 2026, the Third Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal affirmed the denial of a motion by the Trustees of the California State University seeking to strike retaliation claims brought by Hyewon Pechkis and Joseph Pechkis, a married couple who were tenured physics professors at California State University, Chico.
The couple filed their complaint in December 2024, raising six causes of action including discrimination, retaliation under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, failure to engage in the interactive process, hostile working environment, failure to prevent discrimination and harassment, and whistleblower retaliation.
The complaint alleged that Hyewon Pechkis was harassed by the department chair on the basis of the chair's perceived bias against women and Hyewon's Korean ancestry and national origin. The chair allegedly confronted her aggressively enough for her to fear for her physical safety. Both professors reportedly raised concerns about discrimination, harassment, and stalking to the dean of the College of Natural Sciences, but the university allegedly took no action to address the chair's behavior. Hyewon was later diagnosed with chronic...
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