The Maryland Board of Public Works approved a $140,000 settlement Wednesday to a former University of Maryland professor who alleged facing religious discrimination when working at this university.
The American Center for Law and Justice filed a lawsuit against this university in 2022 on behalf of Melissa Landa, a former assistant clinical professor in the education college, according to 2022 court documents. The lawsuit alleged the university violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which protects employees from religious discrimination. Landa, who identifies as Jewish and “a religious Zionist,” alleged that she faced religious discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliatory termination, the documents said.
In the 2022 lawsuit, Landa alleged that she faced discrimination from department leadership for publicly opposing antisemitism, taking a trip to Israel during Passover in 2016 and more, according to the documents.
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Landa was notified in 2017 that her contract would not be renewed after working at this university for a decade, The Diamondback previously reported. She was notified of her nonrenewal four months after she filed a formal faculty grievance against the leadership in this university’s teaching and learning, policy and leadership department.
Her filed grievance was in response to the department’s leadership removing her from the education college’s language arts instruction team in 2016, The Diamondback previously reported. The grievance also claimed she encountered religious discrimination, hostility and retaliation.
This university’s Faculty Grievance Hearing Board — composed of independent faculty members — voted in favor of leadership in the education college’s teaching and learning, policy and leadership department in 2017. The report was dated three days before Landa was notified of her nonrenewal.
The board noted that although “underlying interpersonal issues” between Landa and the department’s leadership may have factored into the staffing decision, her removal from the language arts instruction team was not “unfair, discriminatory, or improperly reached,” The Diamondback previously reported.
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Landa filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2018, which determined in 2020 that it was “reasonable to believe that [Dr. Landa] was discharged in retaliation for complaining about religious discrimination,” the documents said. A right to sue letter was issued in 2021, and Landa filed the lawsuit in 2022, according to case documents.
“The parties have agreed upon a settlement that fully resolves this matter and will result in the dismissal of the lawsuit,” this university said in a Monday statement to The Diamondback. “The University admits no liability or other wrongdoing in connection with the settlement.”
Landa did not respond to requests for comment.
