Harvard Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Involving Indian American Plaintiff

Photo: youthchangemakers.org

India-West News Desk

BOSTON, MA–Harvard University has reached a settlement in a lawsuit involving allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation by former anthropology professor John Comaroff. The case, filed in February 2023 in federal court in Boston, was brought by three graduate students at the time: Margaret Czerwienski, Lilia Kilburn, and Indian American Amulya Mandava.

The lawsuit accused Comaroff of a pattern of inappropriate behavior, including kissing and groping students without consent, and threatening to sabotage their academic careers if they reported him. The students alleged that Harvard failed to act on their complaints, thus enabling Comaroff’s misconduct.

Mandava had shared at the time of the lawsuit that she faced unwanted attention from Comaroff when she was an undergraduate at the University of Chicago.

In a filing on August 14 in federal court here, the three women voluntarily dismissed their 2022 lawsuit following months of mediation with Harvard.

The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed. Sanford Heisler Sharp, the law firm representing the women, expressed satisfaction with the resolution, praising the plaintiffs’ bravery in bringing the issue to light and allowing them to move forward with their careers. John Comaroff, who retired earlier this year, has denied the allegations.

Mandava currently serves as Co-Director of South Bay Youth Changemakers in Santa Clara County, CA, and is a fellow in the 2024 Silicon Valley New Leaders Council. She also volunteers with the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, reflecting her deep commitment to social justice and community organizing.

Mandava holds a master’s in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD from Harvard’s Department of Anthropology. Her academic work includes research on inequality and the caste-gender nexus, particularly focusing on Tamil Nadu. She has also worked with the National Institutes of Health, where she contributed to the Department of Bioethics.