KU, former employee settle discrimination lawsuit

A former associate vice provost for information services has reached a settlement with Kansas University in his discrimination lawsuit filed in 2010, according to federal court records.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil said in an order that attorneys for KU and Dilawar Grewal had confirmed they have settled the claims in Grewal’s suit. Her order does not specify any terms of the settlement, but it says the parties have until Feb. 27 to file a stipulation in the case.

Grewal in the suit alleged he was harassed due to his religion and race and ultimately fired in 2009 for making complaints. Grewal, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in India who was a member of the Sikh religion, said he was the subject of “open racial and religious slurs in the workplace,” including an allegation he was openly referred to as “looking like a terrorist.”

When the suit was filed, KU officials said his claims were baseless. The parties had been participating in mediation.

KU hired Grewal in 2009 as a director of research information technology services, and he was promoted in August 2009 to associate vice provost for information services. Grewal is now an associate provost at Wagner University in New York.

An attorney for Grewal could not be reached for comment Thursday. KU spokeswoman Jill Jess said Thursday the court’s memo was the only thing public in the case at this point.