Federal Judge Aleta Trauger has dismissed a discrimination suit against Tennessee State University after the school and two former students reached a settlement agreement. Former graduate students Erin Clark and Terrill Wakefield, Memphis residents who moved to Nashville for graduate studies in TSU’s biology department, brought the suit in August 2022.
Court filings show that Trauger formally dismissed the case on Feb. 11. Publicly available documents do not disclose settlement details, but some legal filings cite a Tennessee statute indicating that the state paid more than $25,000. Plaintiffs initially sought $2 million in damages from TSU under Title IX, a federal statute that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.
Two former Ph.D. students argue that the university violated Title IX
Clark and Wakefield describe invasive questions and shifting contract details from two TSU biology professors, Xiaofei Wang and Andrea Tyler, related to Clark’s pregnancy. The university pushed back Clark’s and Wakefield’s start dates due to Clark’s pregnancy, plaintiffs claim, delaying income and making it untenable to remain in their graduate programs. Attorneys Mary Parker and Tessa Muir represented the plaintiffs.
Assistant Attorneys General Ashley Carter and Valerie Stoneback handled the defense for Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. The state disputed or denied several of the plaintiffs’ claims. A year into the suit, when the case appeared to be heading toward a jury trial, both parties agreed to suspend litigation while they worked toward a “non-litigation resolution.”
The state, Clark and Wakefield reached a settlement agreement in May. In subsequent court documents, both parties explain delays in the case by citing a Tennessee statute requiring approval from the state comptroller and governor for settlements more than $25,000. Attorneys reported a finalized settlement on Feb. 10. A day later, Trauger dismissed the case.
