Judge Nixes S. Korean University Suit Against Yale

Dongguk University claimed in the 2008 lawsuit that it hired an art history professor after Yale wrongly confirmed the professor earned a doctorate.

A federal judge in Connecticut has dismissed a lawsuit a South Korean university filed against Yale University, claiming it lost tens of millions of dollars after Yale damaged its reputation.

Dongguk University claimed in the 2008 lawsuit that it hired an art history professor after Yale wrongly confirmed the professor earned a doctorate at the New Haven school.

Court papers say Professor Shin Jeong-ah later had a scandalous love affair with an aide to South Korea's president.

Dongguk, a Buddhist-affiliated university in Seoul, sued Yale for more than $50 million, saying it lost that amount in government grants, alumni donations and costs of building a law school the government later refused to approve because of the scandal.

Judge Tucker Melancon on Friday dismissed allegations of defamation and negligence.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us