Lawsuit Alleges Harvard Ignored Sexual Harassment Complaints Against Prof. John Comaroff for Years

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. —Three graduate students are alleging that Harvard University "willfully ignored nearly a decade of sexual harassment and retaliation" by a tenured professor.

The lawsuit alleges a pattern of sexual misconduct within the university's Anthropology Department and involves past chairs of that department. Specifically, the lawsuit names professor John Comaroff and accuses him of sexually assaulting one student and interfering with the careers of two others.

The lawsuit was filed by New York-based Sanford Heisler Sharp on behalf of graduate students Margaret Czerwienski, Lilia Kilburn and Amulya Mandava. They allege that Comaroff had a history of allegations of inappropriate behavior.

"Harvard ignored these reports for years, which led to our friend and fellow plaintiff Lilia Kilburn being harassed, which led to Margaret and myself being threatened by Prof. Comaroff," said Mandava.

"The university -- despite what it promises us, despite what it says -- is actually completely indifferent to harm that befalls students and they will not take action unless they are absolutely forced to do so by external pressure," said Czerwienski.

"The Complaint alleges that Professor Comaroff repeatedly and forcibly kissed Ms. Kilburn, groped her in public, graphically and bizarrely imagined her rape and murder aloud, cut her off from other professors, and derailed her degree progress," the law firm wrote in a summary of the lawsuit.

Czerwienski and Mandava said they faced retaliation from Comaroff when they "sought to warn other students about him."

"Harvard watched and did nothing as Professor Comaroff retaliated, in part, by ensuring that Ms. Czerwienski and Ms. Mandava would have "trouble getting jobs,'" the law firm wrote.

"What we're really trying to do is get some kind of justice and change in this institution," Mandava said.

According to his university biography, Comaroff is currently on leave. In a statement, his lawyers say the academic "categorically denies ever harassing or retaliating against any student."

Comaroff denied kissing and inappropriately touching Kilburn. He also said that the conversation about sexual violence was precipitated by what he saw as risks of her plan to bring her same-sex partner along for fieldwork in Cameroon.

"This was a necessary conversation for her safety and numerous faculty witnesses in the Title IX process attested that his advice was appropriate," Comaroff's attorneys wrote.

The plaintiffs said that all three grad students submitted Title IX complaints with Harvard's Office for Dispute Resolution, triggering a process that lasted longer than a year. That review found Comaroff engaged in verbal conduct that violated university policy but the students said no findings were issued on the allegations of groping or retaliation.

"All of this, Plaintiffs allege, was due to failings in Harvard’s Title IX process, which is designed to protect star faculty and allow Harvard to downplay credible accounts of sexual misconduct," the students' attorneys wrote.

"The Title IX investigation found that (Comaroff) was motivated only by concern for Ms. Kilburn’s well-being and had no romantic or sexual intention, but that the advice nonetheless constituted sexual harassment," lawyers wrote in the professor's statement. "Professor Comaroff vehemently disputes this conclusion, which would cripple faculty members’ ability to use their best academic judgment in advising students about essential safety issues."

In addition to being placed on leave for the spring semester, Dean Claudine Gay determined that Comaroff would face penalties including that he cannot teach required courses and cannot take on any additional graduate student advisees through the 2022-2023 academic year.