Judge rules against Lehigh grad student’s case to raise C-plus grade

Bethlehem, PA, United States (4E) – A judge from Northampton County, Pennsylvania ruled Thursday against a former graduate student of Lehigh University who filed a $1.3 million lawsuit for her C-plus grade she received in 2009.

According to Judge Emil Giordano, there was no breach of contract or discrimination against former student Megan Thode for the grade she received when pursuing an advanced degree in counseling and human services.

CNN reported that lawsuit documents stated Thode retained a B-plus on all written documents, but her instructor, Amanda Carr, assigned her a zero in class participation which pulled her grade down to a C-plus, preventing her from advancing to the next course.

The document also claimed the professor hindered Thode from becoming a licensed professional counselor and the possible income when Carr retaliated because the student supports gay and lesbian rights.

After four days of testimony, Giordano stated that Thode failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the grade was related to anything but academic performance, and there was not enough evidence that university and faculty engaged in any discriminatory acts toward her.

Gary Sasso, the dean of Lehigh University’s College of Education, university officials were pleased with the judge’s decision to uphold the faculty’s responsibility to evaluate the work of their students, according to CNN.

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