This week, a former Villanova University professor filed a federal lawsuit against the school after she was fired after accusing its law school of racial discrimination involving one of her students, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday morning.
Stephanie Sena was an anti-poverty fellow in the University’s law school and taught at Villanova for more than 20 years. She was fired in July 2024 for what the University said were “student complaints,” according to the lawsuit obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
However, Sena’s lawyers argue that her dismissal was due to her filing a racial discrimination complaint against the University for comments the school made about a decision not to give a student financial aid that would have cleared her debt.
“The Plaintiff’s lawsuit lacks merit, and we will vigorously defend against these baseless allegations,” a University statement on the situation read. “We look forward to presenting the actual facts surrounding the Plaintiff’s separation from Villanova. To be clear, Villanova University does not tolerate discrimination or retaliation of any kind, and the allegations in Plaintiff’s lawsuit are contrary to our written policies and conflict with the core values of our University.
Sena declined comment when contacted by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Her LinkedIn page is redirected to a ‘404 Error’ at the time of this publication.
Sena’s student, Antionna Fuller, used a symposium speech in 2021 to accuse the University of racial discrimination and failure to give her the correct support with financial aid. The speech was titled “Shifting the Poverty Lens: Caritas in Focus.” Sena hosted the symposium.
Fuller, 29, spoke with The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday.
“I am happy, at least relieved, that the truth is coming out,” Fuller said to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ve been in such an isolated place and just carrying this trauma for so long.”
Fuller graduated from Villanova’s law school in 2022.
In a letter to the scholarship committee, Sena discovered that Mark Alexander, the law school dean, asked that Fuller not receive the financial aid award because she “maliciously maligned” the law school, according to the lawsuit obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The lawsuit also stated that then Villanova’s law school vice dean, Michael Risc, said Fuller was “lucky” to have gotten into the law school and that she would not be there if she were white, after the student’s speech.
Villanova’s human resources informed Sena in June 2024 that she was under investigation after students said she had pressured them to file complaints against the deans, the lawsuit said. Sena denied those claims.
Sena was fired a month later, on July 30, 2024, even though she had no prior performance or disciplinary issues and had received awards and promotions, according to the lawsuit. She is seeking damages, including economic loss, compensatory and punitive, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
This is a developing story. The Villanovan will continue to provide updates on the situation as information becomes available.
