Indigenous dean sues over alleged racism
TORONTO • A woman who became the first female Indigenous dean of a Canadian law school has launched a lawsuit against the university, alleging it racially discriminated against her and forced her to resign earlier this year.
Angelique EagleWoman, a member of the SissetonWahpeton Oyate Tribe of South Dakota, was appointed head of the law school at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., in May 2016 and resigned in June.
In an unproven statement of claim filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last week, EagleWoman’s lawyers allege the university subjected her to excessive oversight and monitoring that created unsustainable working conditions.
“The (university’s) ongoing micromanagement, failure to provide (EagleWoman) with the tools, resources and support needed to succeed in her role and failure to address the hostile work environment ultimately led to the complete deterioration of the working relationship,” they wrote.
EagleWoman is seeking $2.67 million in damages, a figure she says would compensate for lost wages and account for damages for “harm to dignity, feelings and self-respect,” among other things.
Lakehead said it had received the statement of claim but would not comment on ongoing litigation. The school added that it had not yet filed a statement of defence.
The 48-year-old EagleWoman had moved from Pullman, Wash., to accept the dean’s post, which she was supposed to hold until June 30, 2021, the lawsuit said.
“This was an expensive and socially difficult transition for (EagleWoman) and her son … but one (she) believed to be worthwhile in light of this significant opportunity,” it said.
The law school was founded in 2013 with the intent of focusing on Indigenous programming. It aims to cultivate lawyers who can analyze the law from an Aboriginal perspective.
The lawsuit alleges that EagleWoman’s authority was undermined by the school, which placed a consultant in the chain of command between her and her direct supervisor. That consultant was also authorized to bypass EagleWoman and respond directly to faculty and staff, according to the statement of claim.
“This was not only demeaning for (EagleWoman), it undermined her authority and conveyed the message to others in the faculty that the (university) did not support her,” the document said.