A federal jury on Thursday awarded $285,000 to a University of Colorado lab assistant who said her boss repeatedly sexually assaulted her and threatened to fire her if she reported him.
The woman contended the university knew that Igor Gamow, a high-profile professor, had sexually harassed other women before her but failed to take action against him that would have protected her.
“The truth breaks out occasionally, even at the University of Colorado,” said George Johnson, attorney for the woman. “We’ll take this verdict and try to persuade the university to mend its abusive ways.”
University officials declined to discuss the verdict, instead issuing a statement saying that they were disappointed by the decision and that CU is committed to promoting an environment free of sexual harassment.
The woman, who also is a veterinarian, began working for Gamow in 1993. The harassment began soon after, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver.
It started with him fondling her and progressed to repeated unwanted sexual intercourse from 1995 to 1997, according to testimony in the trial.
Dana Ruehlman, who agreed to make her name public now that she has prevailed in court, called the verdict vindication. She said she doubts the university has changed its ways.
“On the surface, the university appears to be committed to stopping sexual harassment on campus, but in reality when a victim comes forward, they victimize the victim and protect the harasser,” Ruehlman said.
Gamow, who was fired by the university two years ago for “moral turpitude,” said he was surprised by the verdict.
In an interview last week, he said he had not engaged in a sexual relationship with Ruehlman.
In court, he testified that Ruehlman was treating him for impotence.
Johnson, Ruehlman’s attorney, said Gamow would have his assistant stay late and, after everyone else left, he would lock the door to the basement laboratory and force himself on her.
Though Ruehlman eventually went to law enforcement authorities, charges were never filed, Johnson said, because of the time that had elapsed between the events and her reporting.
Gamow, 70, is a microbiologist and inventor. Among his more well-known creations is the Gamow Bag, an inflatable pressure bag that is primarily used to treat altitude sickness.
He is the son of the late George Gamow, an acclaimed theoretical physicist whose work advanced the big-bang theory.
In a telephone interview Thursday, he wondered whether jurors ruled against him because of his “celebrity.”
“I think it was a miscarriage of justice,” he said.
Ruehlman had contended Gamow’s actions constituted a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 2000, Ruehlman filed a complaint with the university’s office of sexual harassment. She filed the lawsuit two years later.
In its written statement, the university said it had not decided whether to appeal the verdict.
Staff writer Alicia Caldwell can be reached at 303-820-1930 or acaldwell@denverpost.com.
