Jackson State, State College Board Settle Two Sex Discrimination Lawsuits
Jackson State University and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning board have settled two sex discrimination lawsuits filed during Marcus Thompson’s brief tenure as university president, Mississippi Today reported.
On Aug. 25, the IHL board resolved a federal lawsuit brought by Debra Mays-Jackson, a former JSU vice president and chief of staff, according to Mississippi Today. Mays-Jackson sued in 2023 the same day the board selected Thompson as president, alleging she was passed over for the job in favor of a less experienced man and was denied an interview.
Mays-Jackson’s lawsuit said trustees used a policy allowing them to suspend a search and hire someone known to the board, regardless of whether that person applied. Trustees argued qualified immunity to try to have the case dismissed; a district court rejected that claim and a federal appeals court upheld the lower court’s ruling in December, Mississippi Today reported. Details of the Aug. 25 settlement were not made public and Mississippi Today said it has filed a records request for the agreement.
In June, Jackson State reached a $150,000 settlement with Linda Rush, the university’s former interim vice president of enrollment management, Mississippi Today reported. Rush alleged in federal court that Thompson passed her over for a promotion, then fired her because of her age and sex. A judge dismissed several of Rush’s claims but allowed one sex-discrimination claim against Thompson to proceed.
Rush’s lawsuit said Thompson hired Kylon Alford-Windfield to lead enrollment management in January 2024 and favored the younger male colleague, who the suit says was a classmate and fraternity brother of Thompson’s. The complaint said Rush continued performing duties associated with the role, was fired about 60 days later, escorted from campus and offered a letter of recommendation. As part of the settlement, Rush agreed not to apply to work at Jackson State or other public universities overseen by IHL; Jackson State and Thompson did not admit wrongdoing, Mississippi Today reported. Attorneys for Mays-Jackson, Rush, Thompson, Alford-Windfield and the university declined to comment, and attorneys for the IHL board did not respond to a request for comment, Mississippi Today said.
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