Fired University of Kansas prof alleges anti-German discrimination

A fired University of Kansas assistant professor is claiming anti-German discrimination and a hostile work environment in a civil rights lawsuit against the school.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Catherine Joritz is asking the court to reinstate her in the lawsuit filed this week in Douglas County District Court.

Issues arose when students in a spring 2014 basic video course complained about her.

The lawsuit said that student evaluations that became part of her permanent record made “angry, aggressive, anti-German comments” such as that she was a “Nazi sympathizer.”

The lawsuit said one member of her tenure review committee cited Joritz’s German background as a reason for the negative comments.

University of Kansas spokesman Joe Monaco declined to discuss the case, noting that the litigation is pending.