Ex-Brandeis Administrator Gets $2.9 Million In Discrimination Lawsuit

WALTHAM, MA — Framingham resident and former Brandeis Vice President of Human Resources Robin Nelson-Bailey has won a lawsuit accusing the school of racial and gender-based discrimination and retaliation.

The lawsuit stems from a 2018 independent investigation into the university's athletic department, specifically into basketball coach Brian Meehan. At one time a beacon of athletic success at Brandeis, Meehan's legacy was largely destroyed in 2017 after he was dismissed from the school when university officials found out that a Deadspin article focused on his program was being written.

Deadspin wrote at the time that Meehan was fired one week after the reporter took their claims to the university, including an incident when Meehan told a Black player "I'll ship you back to Africa."

The 2018 investigation was intended to "address the failings within [Brandeis'] Department of Athletics and our Department of Human Resources." As part of the personnel moves surrounding that investigation, Nelson-Bailey was "demoted, relieved of her leadership and supervisory responsibilities, with a commensurate reduction in salary, and placed on probation," the university said at the time.

Nelson-Bailey — a Black woman — and her attorneys filed the lawsuit against the university alleging that she was the victim of discrimination and retaliation.

The suit alleges that when six basketball players first brought complaints to administrators against Meehan in 2017, Nelson-Bailey faced resistance on certain measures of protocol, including her feeling that a written report needed to be authored. Meehan was disciplined by the university at the time, the lawsuit said.

When the new allegations against Meehan — and the article — were brought forth in 2018, the university decided to conduct an external investigation, which resulted in Meehan's firing in April 2018.

The lawsuit further alleges that the HR Department was used as a scapegoat at a 2018 town hall following the publication of the article.

Further, during the same year, the university was seeking to hire an assistant vice president of HR, a less senior role than Nelson-Bailey's, for $250,000, higher pay than her more senior position.

Later that year, Nelson-Bailey was informed of the university's decision to demote her. When she asked for reason why, administrators told her they would not be given and she could either "appeal this decision or resign," the lawsuit said.

Nelson-Bailey was fired from the university in 2019.

Notably, the lawsuit points out, the three administrators who were demoted, resigned or were terminated were all women, and none of the men involved in the investigation were disciplined by the university.

The jury found that Nelson-Bailey was a victim of retaliation, gender discrimination and race discrimination. Jurors also found that her boss, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration Stewart Uretsky, both retaliated against and discriminated against Nelson-Bailey, according to court documents.

The court ordered that Nelson-Bailey be awarded a total of $2,954,585.60 including back pay, punitive damages and emotional distress.

University officials told the Boston Globe they disagreed with the decision and planned to file an appeal.