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A former director of the Office of Institutional Equity at New Mexico State University has filed a retaliation lawsuit claiming her civil rights were violated under a state whistle-blower statute, The Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
Laura Castille, who also served as the university’s Title IX coordinator, alleges that she was forced to resign last year after reporting that a New Mexico State system administrator, Vice Chancellor Ruth Johnston, improperly helped a “close ally” land a chief auditor position. The lawsuit also alleges “gross mismanagement, abuse of authority and violation of university policy,” according to the Sun-News.
In December, a former provost, Carol Parker, also sued the university, alleging she was fired after trying to investigate pay discrimination issues.
The university declined to comment about the most recent lawsuit, according to the Sun-Times.
Ben Gubernick, an attorney for Castille, told the newspaper, “This is people trying to remove checks and balances. This is like Game of Thrones–type stuff.”
This year, the university fired its men’s basketball coach, Greg Heiar, and canceled the rest of the season amid reports of locker room hazing and after a player shot and killed a University of New Mexico student. No criminal charges have been filed in either case, and the university’s chancellor, Dan Arvizu, last week in a statement said that the law firm Greenberg Traurig will investigate the hazing allegations, according to KRWG Public Media.
