Res judicata bars bias suit by convicted law prof, 8th Circuit rules
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The doctrine of res judicata bars a fired law professor from suing Hamline University a second time, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The law professor, Robin Magee, was fired in 2011 after her conviction on four misdemeanor counts of failure to file state tax returns, according to the Jan. 7 opinion (PDF) by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Her second suit is barred because it arose out of the same set of facts as the first, the appeals court said. The National Law Journal (sub. req.) has a story.
In her first suit, Magee claimed the law school, its dean and a St. Paul, Minnesota, police officer colluded to fire her because of her criticism of St. Paul police, violating her constitutional rights. A federal court tossed the case.
In her second suit, Magee claimed racial discrimination impaired her contractual relationship with the university.
Related article:
ABAJournal.com: “Law Prof Charged with Tax Evasion, Claims Severe ADD, Prosecutors Say”
