Banished over alleged harassment, prof sues Ryerson

A Ryerson University associate dean is suing the school for breach of contract and defamation after he was put on paid leave in March and told to keep off campus property, except when teaching his lone class, reports The Toronto Star. James Norrie, an IT expert with the Ted Rogers School of Management, wrote in his statement of claim that he wasn’t initially told why he was being removed, except that there were allegations of harassment and conflict of interest. He also wrote that Ryerson gave him no chance to respond to the charges and that it was only after repeated requests that he learned the allegations involved “profanity directed at persons, ridiculing or belittling persons and other inappropriate action." Stephen Gleave, a lawyer working on the university’s behalf, told a Toronto court Wednesday that the the school’s investigation “may include 20 persons." Norrie is requesting more than $575,000, a public apology in a national newspaper and an injunction that will allow him to attend convocation ceremonies.