San Francisco Superior Court sided Monday morning with UC San Francisco in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee.
According to a statement released by UCSF, the jury voted 11-1 against Todd Senigar, an employee of the campus, and his complaint in which he alleged that he had not received a promotion due to his race. The jury found that the campus’s treatment of Senigar was in accordance with California law and university policy.
“I think that it underscores what we believe our reputation is — that we are a fair and equitable employer and take our commitment to diversity seriously,” said UCSF spokesperson Amy Pyle of the ruling. “He was afforded, along with other applicants, the correct opportunity to apply.”
Senigar’s attorney, Pamela Price, said in an email that she was “devastated and disappointed and grieved by the injustice of it all.”
Senigar, a black man, filed an amended complaint Aug. 16 — more than two years after he filed his initial complaint. Before the case went to trial, the complaint was amended because several charges Senigar had brought were dismissed by the court, according to the statement from UCSF.
The claims thrown out — all relating to racial discrimination — included allegations of wage discrimination.
Senigar had been employed in an information technology position in the campus Network Operations Center during the period the lawsuit centers on, according to the UCSF statement.
Pyle said that the position Senigar had applied for was ultimately eliminated for budgetary reasons and thus was never filled.
Price said that it’s “too soon to tell” what Senigar will do regarding his grievances following this ruling.
Correction(s):
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Todd Senigar was a former UC San Francisco employee. In fact, it was not until Oct. 24 that he was no longer an employee of the university, according to UCSF spokesperson Jennifer O’Brien.
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“Senigar’s attorney, Pamela Price, said in an email that she was “devastated and disappointed”
But she will not remit her fees.