PRESS RELEASE

Downer, Jones, Marino and Wilhite

318-213-4444
ajones@dhw-law.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shreveport Medical School Employees Defend Their Filing of Federal Equal Employment
Complaints

Shreveport, LA, May 4, 2021-- Four LSU Health Sciences employees have filed Equal Employment
Opportunity complaints against Medical School Chancellor, Dr. G. Ghali, after Title IX complaints go
unheard.
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Jennifer Woerner, D.M.D., M.D., F.A.C.S., Dean of the School
of Allied Health, Dr. Sharon Dunn, Ph,D, P.T., Dr. Christina Notarianni, M.D., F.A.A.N.S., Director of
Pediatric Neurosurgery, and Dr. Christi Rinaudo, Ed.D., Academic Affairs, have filed complaints with
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission due to on-going gender-based discrimination and
retaliation by the chancellor.
“In April, 2021, after deep thought and much personal consternation, my clients filed Title IX claims
with LSU’s main Title IX office alleging Chancellor Ghali's pervasive gender-based discrimination,
sexually inappropriate behavior, and permissiveness of sexually inappropriate behavior by male
colleagues, namely the egregious sexually inappropriate behavior perpetrated by Dr. Scott Kennedy,
former Dean of Admissions, under Dr. Ghali's supervision,” said Allison Jones, the attorney representing
the four complainants.
LSU's Title IX office dismissed the women's claims, stating that they did not qualify as a Title IX
complaint.
The complainants were invited to send their written private testimonies to the Board of Supervisors,
under the leadership of Interim LSU President Thomas C. Galligan Jr., for evaluation at the April 10,
2021, executive session, which has historically been a closed meeting, while the Board conducted a
comprehensive evaluation of the Chancellor. The Board members were also apparently read testimonies
from other LSU employees who claimed that Chancellor Ghali acted in sexually inappropriate ways
towards them.
“On Saturday, April 10, 2021, the LSU Board of Supervisors met to discuss my client's accusations. My
clients had been told their complaints would be handled privately, without their names being made public.
After entering a prolonged executive session, an act taken to exclude the working press of our state, the
Board heard reports on the claims filed. The press was not only prohibited from attending, but the
claimants were not allowed to attend this executive session, present their issues, or even to listen,” said
Allison Jones, the complainants’ attorney, “Shockingly, however, several Louisiana politicians,
legislators, were allowed to join the closed executive session to defend Chancellor Ghali. Nothing is
more repugnant to due process than politicizing a situation that should have been about the offensive,
unbecoming discriminatory, retaliatory, and unequal behavior of the Chancellor of the LSU Medical
School in Shreveport.”
Several Republican lawmakers, including Ray Garofalo, who recently made headlines for his divisive
proposed education bill, were among the lawmakers present to defend Chancellor Ghali.
The Board of Supervisors meeting was adjourned, with no decision made about the allegations against
the Chancellor.
“The result of the stacked executive session was that my clients were left unprotected and were certain
that Chancellor Ghali would immediately resume his retaliation against them. My clients were obligated
to file charges of retaliation and gender discrimination with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission and essentially go public with their claims. LSU's failures to protect the complainants'
privacy mandated that they ask the appropriate federal authorities for protection and relief,” said Allison
Jones.
These federal filings made wide news coverage and LSU placed Chancellor Ghali on paid administrative
leave from his duties as Chancellor, although he remains a faculty member at the medical school and is
still supervising female students, despite the claims against him.
The school has yet to make a final decision about whether or not Dr. Ghali will be allowed to return as
Chancellor, and Governor Edwards has yet to make a public statement on the matter.
Ms. Jones echoes her clients’ sentiments stating, “Under the leadership of Chancellor Ghali, the LSU
Medical School in Shreveport has a shameful record of condoning offensive, unbecoming,
discriminatory, retaliatory, and unequal behavior-for both students and faculty-as well as retaliating
specifically against those who report the same.
The University has consistently failed to adopt necessary policies to prevent such offensive, unbecoming,
discriminatory, retaliatory and unequal behavior, has failed to investigate complaints of such, and,
instead, has chosen to embrace retaliation against any complainant.
My clients simply asked that the policies of the LSU Medical School in Shreveport and their
implementation comply with the law.
Women today are agents of change especially in institutions and systems that have long lived with a
culture of such behavior. My clients are prepared and ready to lead this change both for themselves and
the protected learners in the school. They are committed to seeing gender equity at the LSU Medical
School in Shreveport as not just a promotion gimmick but, rather, a reality. They are more than ready to
fight to ensure that leadership of the school is equally committed. The allegations against Dr. Ghali
demonstrate he was a supporter of offensive, discriminatory, and retaliatory behavior and by some reports
engaged in the same conduct.
Accordingly, he should never be allowed to return as Chancellor of the LSU Medical School in
Shreveport, and a permanent change in the Administration is required.”

Ms. Jones will open her offices in Shreveport, 401 Market

Street, Suite 1250, at 3 p.m. Wednesday, May, 5th to the
press to answer questions, and her clients will also be
present.