Flunked student sues professor
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2003 8:05 am
CHICAGO — A spurned student is suing his professor over a grade gripe.
Anton Rozenbaum had a B-plus average and was set to graduate from Northwestern University in 2002 until he was accused of cheating, according to a suit filed last month in Cook County Circuit Court.
Rozenbaum is suing Erik Sontheimer, an assistant biochemisty professor, claiming the instructor unfairly changed his grade on a March 2002 biology final exam from a B-plus to an F.
The student "has been denied his rightfully earned degree and has also been denied the opportunity to apply to graduate school and further his professional career," the suit states.
The suit demands that the university restore Rozenbaum's grade to a B-plus, remove any record of academic dishonesty and confer his biology degree. It also seeks $50,000 in damages.
An attorney for the university said the lawsuit was without merit.
After receiving a B-plus on the test, Rozenbaum went to the professor to dispute how he graded the exam. During the meeting, he took notes on the exam and the two got into an argument, according to the suit.
Sontheimer claimed the notes on the exam paper were Rozenbaum's attempt to change his answers and get a higher grade, the suit states. He responded by reducing Rozenbaum's grade to an F.
Rozenbaum counters that that he never asked for his grade to be changed. The suit also claims that the university did not properly investigate the claim of student misconduct before upholding the reduced grade.
A trial date has not yet been set.
Anton Rozenbaum had a B-plus average and was set to graduate from Northwestern University in 2002 until he was accused of cheating, according to a suit filed last month in Cook County Circuit Court.
Rozenbaum is suing Erik Sontheimer, an assistant biochemisty professor, claiming the instructor unfairly changed his grade on a March 2002 biology final exam from a B-plus to an F.
The student "has been denied his rightfully earned degree and has also been denied the opportunity to apply to graduate school and further his professional career," the suit states.
The suit demands that the university restore Rozenbaum's grade to a B-plus, remove any record of academic dishonesty and confer his biology degree. It also seeks $50,000 in damages.
An attorney for the university said the lawsuit was without merit.
After receiving a B-plus on the test, Rozenbaum went to the professor to dispute how he graded the exam. During the meeting, he took notes on the exam and the two got into an argument, according to the suit.
Sontheimer claimed the notes on the exam paper were Rozenbaum's attempt to change his answers and get a higher grade, the suit states. He responded by reducing Rozenbaum's grade to an F.
Rozenbaum counters that that he never asked for his grade to be changed. The suit also claims that the university did not properly investigate the claim of student misconduct before upholding the reduced grade.
A trial date has not yet been set.
