The Tennessee Supreme Court has accepted the case of a UTC professor who claims he was demoted when he voiced concerns about a female professor who he said lied about her academic records.
“I was convinced all along that an injustice had been done,” said Bill Harman, who teaches religion at UTC. “Maybe it will be taken seriously now.”
Last August, Harman’s suit was dismissed in Hamilton County Chancery Court when a judge said the former head of the philosophy and religion department didn’t meet the legal criteria for a whistleblower because he was demoted and not fired.
He has lost two appeals in the case since 2009 and said he was shocked to find out the state Supreme Court agreed to take his case.
The case will be heard by the Tennessee Supreme Court in May 2011, according to court documents.