In a twist akin to a courtroom drama, New Jersey’s Appellate Division has decided that the script didn’t support the plotline of racial and disability discrimination leveled against Rutgers University lawsuit and a prominent global affairs professor, Richard O’Meara.
Rutgers University lawsuit : The Backdrop
Kingsley Okituamah, a former Black student, found himself standing on shaky ground. The heart of his case? A controversial audio recording of O’Meara, who is white, allegedly using the N-word during a lecture. In O’Meara’s defense, he argued that the word was a teaching tool, shedding light on the complexities of racism.
However, the court, in a move echoing the rigors of detective work, deduced that Okituamah could not validate the recording’s authenticity. Furthermore, in a twist of events, it surfaced that he was not even present during that particular lecture. The gaping hole in the story? There was no evidence pointing to the remark being directed at him or any specific individual.
The Question of Intensity
Even if one were to entertain the possibility of racial discrimination, the court decided that the plot lacked intensity. The evidence presented by Okituamah failed to convince the panel that he encountered “severe and pervasive” discrimination.
Contradictions and Revelations
The plot thickened as inconsistencies emerged in Okituamah’s narrative. He had originally claimed a tense encounter in 2017 with O’Meara, suggesting the professor physically threatened him. But this story took an about-turn later, transforming into a mere hand gesture by O’Meara during conversation.
