Ohio University professor resigns after sexual-harassment finding

An Ohio University English professor accused of sexually harassing several students has resigned.

Andrew Escobedo’s resignation will be effective Nov. 1, according to a statement from Ohio University President Duane Nellis.

His resignation comes months after two students reported sexual misconduct to the Office of University Equity and Civil Rights Compliance. Investigators with that office found that the evidence supported the finding that Escobedo sexually harassed them.

The complaints stemmed from events at an end-of-semester gathering at two Athens bars in December 2015, according to documents outlining the findings of the investigation. The women accused Escobedo of touching their bodies in a sexual manner without their consent and making verbal statements of a sexual nature to at least one of the students. Both were enrolled in one of Escobedo’s courses at the time and said they feared that refusing his advances would hurt their grades and educational opportunities.

Following those initial complaints, additional women reported misconduct by Escobedo. One said Escobedo “inappropriately touched” her at a local bar in 2003 when she was a student enrolled in one of his classes. Another reported Escobedo put his hand in “inappropriate places” at an Athens restaurant while she was out with friends in 2005.

The two women who reported the December 2015 misconduct also have filed a civil rights complaint in federal court against Escobedo, Ohio University and the former chair of its English Department. The suit alleges the university was deliberately indifferent to Escobedo’s past misconduct, “fostering a safe space for sexual misconduct.” Though the university has sought to dismiss the complaint, the case continues.

The university could use this opportunity to set an example for change within higher education, said Michael Fradin, the attorney representing the two women in the federal case.

“Although Andrew Escobedo’s departure makes the Athens campus a safer space, the university’s stubborn insistence that it holds no blame is very dangerous,” he said. “As long as the university sticks with this denial, the campus will remain an unsafe space for women.”

A Faculty Senate hearing on whether to revoke Escobedo’s tenure had been scheduled to begin Sept. 1, but he has waived his right to that hearing as part of his resignation, according to Nellis’ statement.

In his statement, Nellis said the university does not typically comment on resignations, but he felt compelled to notify the community, given the university’s Ohio University English professor Equity and Civil Rights compliance investigation.

“Brave women and other people in our community stepped forward to bring intolerable behavior to light,” Nellis said. “The healing process I envision is not one that will dim this light but rather intensify our efforts to ensure our community is a safe place to learn and work.”

Escobedo alleged the complaints filed against him were the result of a conspiracy by several faculty members who sought to label him as a “sexual predator” and get him fired, according to the memorandum outlining the findings of the university’s investigation.

In a statement given through his attorneys Monday, Escobedo said he maintains the claims made against him were not fair or true, and that findings of the university’s civil rights investigation were flawed.

“Ohio University’s administration made it clear to me and my lawyers that they planned to fire me no matter what the faculty hearing determined,” he said in his statement.

“Thus, I believe that my resignation is in the best interest of my family and my finances at this time, and that continuing to fight what appears to be a foregone conclusion is not.”

An Ohio University spokeswoman declined to comment beyond Nellis’ statement.

The former CLEVELAND — mediator for Portage County Common Pleas Court said in a new lawsuit that he was forced out of his job for sending a letter to the editor to cleveland.com.

Richard Steinle, who worked as the court’s mediator between 1999 and January of this year, said Judge Laurie Pittman told him that he should have asked for permission before he sent the letter. The letter was critical of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s handling of a case involving the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and its charging of excessive insurance premiums.

The letter appeared on cleveland.com and in The Plain Dealer in April 2016.

A lawsuit filed Friday says that Steinle, a Mogadore resident, learned on Jan. 27 that Pittman planned to fire him that afternoon. Pittman gave Steinle the option to resign if he would draft a letter of resignation and if he agreed to train his own replacement.

Steinle wrote the letter of resignation, and Pittman said his last day would be