Black NY professor who reported noose on her door loses lawsuit over firing; 2 others continue

NYC prof who reported noose loses suit over firing

NEW YORK — A black former college professor who reported finding a noose on her New York City office door has lost one of her three lawsuits surrounding plagiarism accusations that got her fired.

A Manhattan judge’s ruling says Teachers College officials acted within their authority in dismissing Madonna Constantine. The Columbia University-affiliated college says she copied work from colleagues and students.

Constantine denies plagiarizing. Lawyer Paul Giacomo (jee-uh-COH’-moh) Jr. says she’ll press on with a $200 million state court defamation suit and a federal discrimination case.

The judge’s ruling on the dismissed case was filed Tuesday.

Teachers College says all of Constantine’s suits are baseless.

Authorities haven’t determined who put the noose on Constantine’s door in October 2007.

Constantine was fired in 2008. The clinical psychology professor called her termination an “academic lynching.”