SIU provost protected from suit under state’s immunity statute

By Andrew Maloney Law Bulletin staff writer

Posted August 10, 2017 2:52 PM

SPRINGFIELD — A high-ranking academic official cannot be sued for damages in state court, an appeals panel has decided.The 5th District Appellate Court ruled this week that an interim provost and vice chancellor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale was immune from tort claims arising from a dispute over a graduate student’s research.Susan Ford, the school’s vice chancellor for academic affairs who holds a doctorate, was discharging her duties as a state employee when she guided a research …

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