BRISTOL, R.I. -- A professor at Roger Williams University has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit in Superior Court against her employer alleging four counts of sexual discrimination.
The lawsuit names Roger Williams University President Donald Farish, former RWU Acting Provost Robert Potter and Assistant Provost Robert Cole as co-defendants.
Sharon DeLucca, a professor of graphic design, claims she was subject to repeated discrimination and retaliation over several years which caused her severe mental and physical distress and hospitalization.
In her lawsuit, DeLucca claims that RWU, and specifically Dean Robert Cole, used her to develop a graphic design curriculum and recruit prospective students but refused to give her the title and compensation of her male counterparts.
DeLucca filed a complaint of sexual discrimination against Cole within the RWU administration. The lawsuit claims that Farish attempted to marginalize DeLucca within RWU and tried to remove her from all elected committee positions on campus and barred her from any involvement in the graphic design program.
A spokesman for Rogers Williams said, "As we have stated in previous instances when Professor DeLucca's claims were made public - because this relates to pending litigation, we will abide by our policy of handling this case through the established legal process, rather than sharing details publicly.
"We intend to vigorously defend against the alleged claims as they relate to the University and the co-defendants named in the complaint, and we believe that we will ultimately prevail in court."