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A long-running gender bias and retaliation lawsuit against Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has come to a quiet close, with the school and former interim director Denise Thorpe agreeing to a confidential settlement, according to filings in Pennsylvania federal court.

The agreement ends Thorpe’s explosive case accusing the seminary of firing her for speaking out against gender discrimination and for objecting to what she called a racially biased background check policy. Though the terms remain undisclosed, the joint stipulation filed Friday officially dismissed the case — a final curtain on a dispute that had placed one of Pittsburgh’s most respected religious institutions under scrutiny.

Thorpe’s Claims: Gender Bias, Retaliation, and Racial Discrimination

Thorpe, a theologian and licensed attorney in Colorado, served as interim director of the seminary’s Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program starting in 2018. In her February 2024 complaint, she alleged that by 2019 she began raising concerns about unfair treatment toward a Black colleague and a student background policy she said disproportionately harmed minorities.

When Thorpe applied to assume the permanent D.Min. director role in 2021 — with support from several faculty members — the seminary abruptly announced the search had “failed” and that her employment would end in January 2022.

Her lawsuit argued that these actions were acts of retaliation and evidence of systemic bias against women within the seminary. Thorpe also cited data showing high female staff turnover and claimed the male seminary president repeatedly silenced her during meetings, reinforcing a culture of gender marginalization.

Court Rejects Seminary’s Shield of “Ministerial Exception”

The seminary’s initial attempt to toss the lawsuit largely failed. While the court dismissed a Title IX hostile work environment claim, it refused to extend the First Amendment’s ministerial exception — a doctrine that can protect religious institutions from employment discrimination claims brought by ministers.

In June 2024, U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand ruled that Thorpe’s role involved largely secular duties such as marketing, admissions, and financial aid, making the ministerial defense questionable.

By July, the court again rejected the seminary’s motion to pursue an early appeal to the Third Circuit, ruling that a jury should decide whether Thorpe’s remaining responsibilities were religious in nature — and whether bias or retaliation influenced the school’s hiring decisions.

Settlement Brings Quiet End to High-Profile Dispute

After the court’s summer rulings, the parties notified the judge in September that they had reached a settlement, finalizing the deal on Friday. Neither side has disclosed the financial terms, and both declined requests for comment.

The resolution closes Thorpe’s remaining Title IX, 42 U.S.C. §1981, and Pennsylvania breach of contract claims — allegations that had painted a vivid picture of internal discord at one of the region’s oldest theological institutions.

Legal Representation

Thorpe was represented by James B. Lieber, Thomas M. Huber, and Jacob M. Simon of Lieber Hammer Huber & Paul PC.

The seminary was represented by Karen Baillie of Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC and Suzanne L. DeWalt of Sherrard German & Kelly PC.