Professor sues university for $7.9 million for destroying reputation with baseless grades-for-sex investigation

Article here. Excerpt:

'The University of Illinois continued to probe “demonstrably false” sex-for-grades allegations against a professor even after it agreed to end the investigation in return for his resignation, according to the professor’s lawyers.

When it learned Joseph Petry’s accuser was trying to “blackmail” him for giving her a bad grade, the taxpayer-funded institution did not publicize its findings to the same degree it promoted the allegations, Petry’s lawyers said in a press release accompanying his lawsuit (below).

Filed in the Illinois Court of Claims, which adjudicates litigation against the state, Petry’s breach-of-contract lawsuit is seeking nearly $7.9 million from the Board of Trustees for damaging his reputation and future employment opportunities.

He claims approximately $5.2 million in lost wages, $537,046 for lost tax deductions, $103,000 in legal expenses and an additional $2 million for mental distress.'