UL graduate adds Walker to sexual harassment suit
3/5/2007
Kelly May, the UL graduate who sued her political science professor for sexual harassment last year, has added David Walker, UL's interim athletic director, to her lawsuit.
In the amendment to the suit, May also accuses Walker, an attorney, of legal malpractice. May states that she met with university officials and Walker in a meeting in the last week of September to discuss her complaints against political science professor Donn Kurtz. May alleges that university officials informed her that Walker acts as counsel for students in legal matters.
The university through Walker "provided false and inaccurate legal advice and intentionally misled plaintiff into believing that she did not need a lawyer to pursue her complaints against (Kurtz) in an effort to allow the one-year prescriptive period to run," the suit states.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled April 2.
May filed a lawsuit in November against Kurtz, the university and state alleging that the professor sexually harassed her and fondled her during advising sessions. May named the university and state as parties in the suit because she claims that after being notified of Kurtz's behavior, no actions were taken against the professor.
May filed an amendment to the lawsuit earlier this year after attorneys for the defendants alleged the one-year time period, or prescriptive period, to bring a lawsuit had expired.
In the amendment, May alleges that Kurtz last contacted her in May. In her original suit, May stated the harassment occurred through November 2005. The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 3, 2006.
A Feb. 26 hearing rescinded a temporary restraining order filed against May's counsel to prevent Kurtz from being deposed at any other location than his counsel's offices.
Kurtz's attorney also opposed depositions unrelated to the question of prescriptive period before a judge made a decision on prescription.
Ordered to be deposed were Kurtz; May; Sharon Ridgeway, an assistant professor in the political science department; and David Barry, dean of the college of liberal arts, which oversees Kurtz's department. Barry is identified in the record as only "Dean Barry."