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The University of Pittsburgh's Daily Student Newspaper

The Pitt News

The University of Pittsburgh's Daily Student Newspaper

The Pitt News

The University of Pittsburgh's Daily Student Newspaper

The Pitt News

UPMC Presbyterian Hospital complex on Fifth Avenue.

University dismissed from lawsuit alleging slander

By Allison Radziwon, Assistant News Editor September 8, 2022
A judge dismissed Pitt from a civil lawsuit filed against the University by Norman Wang, a cardiologist, who claimed he was demoted and slandered having been removed from his job at UPMC after writing an op-ed criticizing affirmative action.
The Garage Door Saloon on Atwood Street.

Garage Door Saloon civil cases ongoing, City withdraws violations

By Elizabeth Primrose, Staff Writer May 18, 2022
According to a Garage Door Saloon spokesperson, the civil case against Neal Scoratow, the building’s landlord, is still undergoing depositions, while the landlord’s civil case against the bar owner was dropped.
A courtroom in the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office on Grant Street in Downtown.

Trial date set for former Pitt strength coach’s suit over alleged age, race discrimination

By Betul Tuncer, Assistant News Editor February 13, 2022
A trial for former Pitt strength and conditioning coach Tim Beltz’s civil lawsuit against Pitt is set for Oct. 17 at the federal courthouse Downtown.
Garage Door Saloon is a popular bar located in Oakland.

Garage Door Saloon owner, landlord in legal battle over repairs

By Martha Layne, Assistant News Editor November 17, 2021
Mark Welshonse, the owner of Garage Door Saloon, and Neal Scoratow, the landlord, have disputed building repairs at the bar since March, and it has consequently been shut down temporarily. A lawsuit is ongoing with both sides claiming breach of contract.
The Cathedral of Learning alongside the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain.

Pitt petitions court to dismiss tuition refund case from last spring

By Rebecca Johnson, News Editor April 23, 2021
Pitt submitted a document to a federal court on Thursday asking that it dismiss a case from last spring where students were seeking tuition refunds after classes shifted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pitt professor sues University

By Ashton Crawley, Assistant News Editor January 13, 2021
Norman Wang, a Pitt cardiologist, has filed a federal lawsuit against the University and the American Heart Association. Wang authored a scientific article advocating for race-neutral admission and hiring in cardiology. The AHA later retracted the article due to “inaccuracies, misstatements, and selective misreading of source materials” which “void the paper of its scientific validity.” He was removed this summer as program director of the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship. The lawsuit stated that the University violated Wang’s First Amendment rights and is seeking damages for defamation from UPMC, Pitt, the AHA and several Pitt employees for allegedly claiming Wang misused academic sources. It also asks for Wang to be fully reinstated to his teaching position in the cardiology department. “As a result of defendants’ actions, a cloud also continues to hang over [Wang’s] reputation and, accordingly, his ability to obtain other employment is constrained,” the lawsuit said. The Center for Individual Rights, a nonprofit public interest law firm, will represent Wang. Terry Pell, the center’s president, said the actions taken against Wang should concern anybody concerned about academics and free speech regardless of whether it challenges conventional thinking. “What’s remarkable about this is that he was not punished for an inappropriate joke or an intemperate remark in the classroom, but for publishing a thoroughly researched article in a peer-reviewed journal,” Pell said. Pitt spokesperson Kevin Zwick said the University is aware of the complaint and will respond appropriately. “The University of Pittsburgh took no action against Dr. Wang, and we remain fully committed to advancing the value of academic freedom,” Zwick said. Wang did not respond to a request for comment. The University is also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for possibly “improperly targeting … a campaign of denunciation and cancellation” against Wang. The department’s Office of Postsecondary Education sent a letter on Oct. 7 to Chancellor Patrick Gallagher stating that the University’s actions against Wang could have violated Title IV of the Civil Rights Act. “It did so solely because his academic paper concluded … ‘Ultimately, all who aspire to a profession in medicine and cardiology must be assessed as individuals on the basis of their personal merits, not their racial and ethnic identities,’” the letter said.
Pitt disability lawsuit settled by mediator

Pitt disability lawsuit settled by mediator

By Ashton Crawley, Senior Staff Writer April 16, 2020
A mediator resolved a disability lawsuit by a former Pitt employee against the University last month.
Purdue Pharma manufactures Oxycontin branded oxycodone.

Editorial | Pennsylvania should persist in lawsuit of Purdue Pharma family

By The Pitt News Editorial Board September 16, 2019
The state should continue pushing for the lawsuit, and refuse to sign the settlement.
A lawsuit claims that Pennsylvania public school funding is unfair because it relies too heavily on local tax dollars and discriminates against underprivileged districts.

Editorial: Lawsuit could be a step towards equity in Pa. education funding

By The Pitt News Editorial Board September 3, 2019
Where the state government has failed to solve the problem of inequity in education funding, this lawsuit could be a step towards a solution.
Ben Shapiro spoke at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.

Editorial: Proposed YAF lawsuit against Pitt unnecessary, harmful

By The Pitt News Editorial Board November 15, 2018
Pitt levied a $5,546 security fee against YAF for hosting Ben Shapiro — and YAF swiftly threatened to sue the university in response. But the lawsuit would be a completely unnecessary publicity stunt.
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