Collins v. University of Notre Dame du Lac

Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Contracts
Citation
Case Number: 
Nos.18-2559 & 18-2579 Cons.
Decision Date: 
July 13, 2019
Federal District: 
N.D. Ind., S. Bend Div.
Holding: 
Reversed and remanded

Dist. Ct. erred in granting plaintiff-University professor’s motion for summary judgment in action alleging that defendant-University breached its employment contract with plaintiff by terminating him through use of procedural error by having individual who participated in informal mediation with plaintiff also serve on hearing panel that recommended his termination. Applicable contract did not foreclose individual participating in informal mediation from serving on hearing panel, where said individual could serve both functions without bias. Moreover, record showed that plaintiff had engaged in “serious cause” to warrant his termination, where plaintiff: (1) purchased equipment other than that listed in his grant proposals, used said equipment for unrelated purposes, and stored pornographic images on computers that were improperly purchased with grant funds; and (2) later pleaded guilty to felony charge arising out of use of instant grant funds.