Iranian-born female professor suing Penn State for discrimination, pay inequity
An Iranian-born female professor at Penn State Abington is accusing the university of illegal pay inequity and discrimination, claiming she is being paid less than a specific white male colleague, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this week.
Faranak Pahlevani, who holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, says she has been paid less than the referenced colleague since May 2016 despite “equal work on jobs requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility, and performed under similar working conditions.” She complained to Penn State’s legal counsel in July and August 2022 about the discrimination, per the lawsuit, but said the university has taken no action.
She is seeking the difference between the wages, liquidated damages in an amount equal to back wages due and owing, attorneys’ fees, and additional relief as found by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The university declined to comment Wednesday, as a spokesperson said it “does not generally comment on pending litigation.”
The specific disparity in pay, or Pahlevani’s current pay rate, was not disclosed in the filing. However, according to the lawsuit, Pahlevani and her male colleague were both promoted to the rank of full professor in the mathematics department on July 1, 2022 — and the pay disparity continued even afterward.
She filed a charge last October with both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. She is suing Penn State for a violation of the Equal Pay Act and for discrimination on the basis of sex, race and national origin.
This is at least the fourth filed lawsuit against Penn State this year involving discrimination. A white former faculty member at Penn State Abington sued for discrimination last month, a South Asian associate professor at Penn State Behrend sued in February, and a former assistant research professor at University Park sued in January in a wide-ranging federal lawsuit that included gender discrimination.
Pahlevani is seeking a jury trial. She is represented by Pittsburgh law firm Bordas & Bordas.
