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UH strikes 'absurd' perjury allegation

By Nikie Johnson
The Daily Cougar

Responding to a charge of perjury, the University filed an acrimonious answer in district court this week.

Lawyers for Beverly Gor, who sued UH in January 2001 alleging discrimination and retaliation, filed a motion a month ago claiming that during the case's October trial, two witnesses for the University perjured themselves, and asked the court to grant a new trial.

In its response, the Office of the Texas Attorney General, who represented UH, called the charge of perjury "not only absurd, but false."

The response, filed Monday, also said the "onerous implication" that UH officials or its lawyers asked the witnesses to commit perjury was "offensive in the extreme" and threatened to take action against Gor's attorneys for making such "scurrilous" allegations.

Gor claimed she was denied a job as director of an internship program because she helped another professor who was filing a complaint of sexual harassment against a third professor.

That professor, Gor claimed, who was on the search committee for the position she applied for, influenced the other committee members so she wouldn't get the job in retaliation for her actions.

Gor's motion for a new trial claims the position she applied for was a staff position, so an interview should have been part of the hiring process, but that two witness testified it was a non-tenure-track faculty position, which didn't require an interview.

The University responded that the position was considered a faculty position, but argued that the point was moot because there is "no mandate ... compelling any University employee to conduct interviews for any position — regardless of the position's characterization as faculty or staff."

Gor's lawyers convinced a judge to let them interview jurors, but UH's motion asks the judge to deny the motion for a new trial.

Gor's lawyers could not be reached, and the University maintains a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

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