Update Monday, Nov. 21 at 2:10 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect response from the Angelica Rose Brown's lawyer.
On Nov. 18, the University and three UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School professors filed motion to dismiss Angelica Rose Brown’s discrimination lawsuit.
Brown — a former UNC Kenan-Flagler graduate student — filed a federal lawsuit against the University, three professors and the UNC Board of Governors in late August. The 10 counts include allegations of race discrimination, unlawful retaliation and Civil Rights Act violations.
In court documents to dismiss the case, University counsel said any issues between Brown and the professors were focused on research projects and were not linked to her race.
“While the research in question involved issues of race, the content of the research does not transform an academic disagreement with Brown into racial discrimination,” the documents, filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, said.
The three professors had a “less than ideal working relationship with Brown,” the documents said.
The defendants claim Brown failed to allege facts that “reasonably infer” that the University and professors are liable.
Judge William Osteen Jr. was assigned the case and will likely decide whether to grant or dismiss the motions.
Artur Davis, an attorney for Brown, said in an email statement that a motion to dismiss was expected as they are common in complex discrimination cases.
