Professor Kat Macfarlane, director of the College of Law’s Disability Law and Policy Program, discusses Vivien Cheung’s lawsuit against Howard Hughes Medical Institute for disability discrimination. In the Science article “Trial puts Howard Hughes Medical Institute—and disabled scientists—in the spotlight”, she observes that a jury trial in this situation is rare, instead of being settled or tossed from court. The lawsuit touches on the science and research community and discrimination against those with disabilities.
“I’m shocked in a very refreshing way that this is going in front of a jury,” Macfarlane says. “The applicable legal standards are very challenging for plaintiffs with antidiscrimination claims to meet.”