A federal jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania found Drexel University and Drexel University School of Medicine not liable in a lawsuit brought by Sharon Griswold, MD, an emergency medicine physician and former Drexel faculty member, The Triangle reported August 8.
Dr. Griswold accused Philadelphia-based Drexel of sex discrimination, retaliation and of maintaining a hostile work environment. According to the report, she described a “boys’ club” in the department that made women uncomfortable. Her allegations centered around two staff members whom she said were hostile toward women in the workplace. She claimed that when she tried to talk to her supervisor, he instructed her to confront them directly.
A federal judge dismissed the sex discrimination claim before trial but allowed the retaliation and hostile work environment claims to proceed.
In one dispute, she said she was forced to involve the university’s ombudsman, which affected her relationship with her department chair and mentor. She also said she was passed over for a promotion to vice chair of academics because she “sues chairs,” a reference to her time at Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University, where she sued her department chair, according to the report.
Dr. Griswold worked at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, which previously served as the teaching hospital for Drexel University until its closure in 2019. At that point she was placed on administrative leave, leaving her unable to negotiate her contract to remain a faculty member at Drexel. Dr. Griswold claimed that being placed on leave was a pretense for retaliation, as male physicians she had worked with were retained as faculty. Despite having served as director of the master’s program in medical simulation, she was unable to advocate for herself, according to the report.
Dr. Griswold declined to provide comment to The Triangle. The university contended that Dr. Griswold was instructed to discuss issues with her colleagues, as they were “interpersonal conflicts.” Witnesses in court described her as difficult to work with because she would have “temper tantrums” when she did not get her way.
In court, Dr. Griswold claimed Drexel’s emergency medicine residency program was placed on probation due to another male attending physician who would verbally abuse residents, and that he was not expected to change his behavior.
With respect to the closure of Hahnemann University Hospital, the university presented evidence that Dr. Griswold, in an argument, had threatened to burn down the building. This triggered the paid administrative leave and required her to cut off communication with other colleagues and stay off campus. The university framed the administrative leave as a matter of public safety, not retaliation, according to the report.
The jury found Drexel not liable for the claims of retaliation and hostile work environment.
Becker’s has reached out to Drexel University and will update this article if more information becomes available.
