Professor Howard Robinson, 69, is accused of being caught masturbating during a break during a Zoom lecture in September 2020.
A New York University professor, who lost his job after being accused of masturbating on camera during a Zoom lecture, has sued his former employer as well as one of his students, who they claim was the reason behind watching the alleged indecent act. Later his civil rights were violated.
Howard Robinson, a 69-year-old professor, has long denied any self-gratification during his class and claimed he was trying to send an email while dealing with an urgent need to use the toilet.
His student, Andrea Morin, who is also suing Fordham University, claims she witnessed the obscene act and captured it on her cellphone.
Morin claims that seeing the act resulted in him failing the class and that he was retaliated for complaining, leading to the termination of his scholarship and eventually being dropped from the program. She claims that her civil rights were violated.
Meanwhile, Robinson claims that she is unable to get aroused because she suffers from erectile dysfunction.
‘No, I wasn’t masturbating,’ he said Daily News, ‘The thought of masturbating was the furthest thing from my mind. I was completely focused on teaching.
Robinson, a professor of social work, was fired by Fordham University within days of a letter that said, “You are more likely to conduct conduct in violation of the Fordham Sexual and Related Misconduct Policy.” are not included.’
Robinson, who claims that his civil rights were violated, insists that he has never been the subject of any complaint during the entirety of his teaching career.
‘My record has been great. No student or faculty member has ever made any complaint,’ he said.
Andrea Morin, a Fordham social work student, captured the act on her cellphone and complained. She failed the class and is suing the school for $1 million in damages
Robinson says he was attempting to attach a PowerPoint presentation to an email and what Morin saw as him masturbating was actually a “technically challenged middle-aged man with bladder control problems.”
‘It can be hard for other people to get it. For a 69-year-old man with a medical problem, I have to deal with it,’ he claims in a lawsuit filed in White Plains Federal Court.
Professor Robinson, who was a clinical associate professor at Fordham, was suspended the next day in September 2020 and subsequently fired from his posting
Morin claims that he saw his professor climax on camera during the second class of the semester in September 2020.
The other students who were in the classroom were in a virtual breakout room while she was somehow still able to see and hear the teacher, 38, who has worked with trauma victims in Rwanda, Taiwan and Israel.
She told Robinson to ‘F**k!’ He can be seen moving his arms back and forth, red-faced and panting rapidly for about 90 seconds before saying the word. loudly.
After he finished whatever Robinson was doing, he noticed that Morin was still online. ‘Andrea, are you there?’ He called
Morin shows the footage to her brother and boyfriend, who agree with her claims, despite initially laughing at the incident.
Morin complained to the school the next day and Robinson was suspended without pay while an investigation was underway.
‘This incident has created huge problems for me in my life. I’m left behind in school and emotionally traumatized by this incident,’ Morin told university officials, according to her lawsuit seen by the news.
Robinson has been a licensed clinical social worker for 38 years and has worked with trauma victims in Rwanda, Taiwan and Israel
Meanwhile, Robinson maintains that he was not able to defend himself properly after being charged with Morin’s charges and tried to counter them through a normal university disciplinary process known as Title IX. was unable to.
Through his lawsuit against the university, he is pressuring the Bronx Supreme Court to force Fordham to redo the case in the hopes of being reinstated in his position.
“This process is unfair and prejudiced and is not in good faith,” he said. ‘In the zeal to fix the history of indifference to assault complaints, a revamp has been made.’
Fordham is not commenting on any lawsuits, though Provost Jonathan Crystal issued a withheld statement regarding Robinson’s firing.
‘Wealth. Robinson seems to be having a hard time accepting the consequences of his actions,’ Krystal wrote.
This attempt to show sympathy should be disregarded by the panel. His own carelessness and disregard for Fordham’s policy brought him to where he is today.
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