A former professor in the USC Roski School of Art and Design is suing the university, claiming school officials allowed discrimination against her based on "sex, gender, gender stereotypes, and sexual orientation," which led to the termination of her job.
A.L. Steiner was hired in 2011 as a part-time lecturer at Roski, according to her lawsuit, which was filed on Oct. 31 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. She is a multimedia visual artist and identifies as LGBT. For the 2014-15 school year, Steiner was appointed an assistant professor of the practice and director of the Master of Fine Arts program.
In her suit, Steiner claims that Dean Erica Muhl harassed her in private and public settings. Steiner was referred to as "unflattering," "offensive" and "imperious" by Muhl, because of her gender non-conforming appearance, mannerisms, tone of voice and posture, the suit says.
"The lawsuit is without merit and we will vigorously defend against it," said Kelly Bendell, associate general counsel, litigation, for USC.
The lawsuit alleges that Muhl abruptly removed Steiner from the lecturer committee, and shortly thereafter Steiner was told to step down as director of the MFA program as of spring 2015.
On Nov. 17, 2014, Steiner filed a complaint with USC's Office of Equity and Diversity regarding Muhl's treatment of her, according to the suit.
Steiner's attorney, Jana Moser, said the university could have done more to prevent the harassment.
"You want to make sure there's adequate training in place and that people understand what the law protects, and why it protects it," she said in an interview.
On Sept. 30, 2015, USC approved Muhl's decision to terminate Steiner, concluding that Muhl had "legitimate, non-discriminatory, and non-retaliatory reason" for the dismissal.
Since leaving USC, Steiner has lost wages and benefits, as well as physical and emotional injuries, she claims in the suit.
Reach Staff Reporter Taylor Gorski here or follow her on Twitter.
Staff Reporter Kim Rogers also contributed to this article. Reach her here.
This story was updated with a comment from Kelly Bendell, an associate general counsel for USC.
Annenberg Media