Hale v. University of Alabama at Birmingham et al

Dr. R. Scott Hale, a former assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, filed a lawsuit on October 6, 2017, against the university, its board of trustees, and Dean Selwyn M. Vickers. Hale, a white male, alleged that he was denied competitive salary, research support, and promotion opportunities in favor of less-qualified female and minority colleagues, constituting reverse race and sex discrimination under Title VII and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. He further claimed that after he lodged internal complaints about the preferential treatment, the defendants retaliated against him by stripping his lab space and marginalizing his role. UAB maintained that all personnel actions were based on legitimate performance-based evaluations and denied any discriminatory or retaliatory motive. The case proceeded to a jury trial in the Northern District of Alabama.

In March 2021, a federal jury returned a complete verdict in favor of the defendants on all claims, finding that UAB did not discriminate or retaliate against Dr. Hale. The court subsequently entered final judgment dismissing the case.

Whether UAB intentionally discriminated against Dr. Hale based on his race and sex, and whether it unlawfully retaliated against him for engaging in protected internal complaints.

The case attracted significant attention in higher education circles as a prominent example of a reverse discrimination lawsuit. It highlighted the legal tension between university diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and the individual rights of majority-group faculty members, underscoring the high evidentiary burden plaintiffs face in proving intentional discrimination in academic employment decisions.