Judge dismisses ex-faculty's federal case against Ohio State

A federal judge has granted Ohio State’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former administrator who says OSU retaliated against him for speaking up.

Steve Kremer, former assistant vice president of Student Affairs and director of Student Housing, worked underneath Vice Provost Martha Garland and former OSU Vice President of Student Affairs Richard Hollingsworth, who retired in January.

In September 2006, while working for OSU, Kremer voiced concerns to Garland about how the university was awarding contracts for a housing project, according to the judge’s ruling.

Garland repeated Kremer’s comments to Provost Barbara Snyder, who in turn told Hollingsworth. In April 2007, Hollingsworth placed
Kremer on administrative leave, according to the ruling. For the rest of his tenure at OSU, Kremer says Hollingsworth and other OSU administrators led a “whisper campaign” about his job performance, leading to his resignation in January 2008.

In February, Kremer filed a lawsuit against Garland and Hollingsworth in both the Ohio Court of Claims and in federal court, seeking damages that included a formal letter of apology from OSU and a hearing to clear his name. Kremer and his attorney, Jon Browning, both say that they discussed settlements with OSU, but that those talks were fruitless.

“He’s not looking for money, he just wants his name cleared,” Browning said. “For a letter of apology, he’d go away.”

Kremer said the lawsuit is “entirely a matter of conscience. This has nothing to do with money.”

OSU filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in federal court, which was granted by Judge John D. Holschuh. The suit remains active in the Ohio Court of Claims.

“We are pleased that the federal courts have dismissed Mr. Kremer’s suit,” said OSU spokesman Jim Lynch. “He has made a number of misguided accusations about the university and we will now work to tell our side of the story to the Ohio Court of Claims, and we are confident in a resolution that will be favorable to the university.”

Kremer said he is “looking forward to the same opportunity for people to hear the whole story.”