A former Fordham University professor, who was fired from his job after allegedly being caught masturbating during a Zoom lecture has filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming that his 'erectile dysfunction' nullifies the allegation. The student, who recorded the 2020 video is also filing a lawsuit against the university claiming she faced retaliation after reporting it to the authorities.
The lawsuit filed by the student, identified as Andrea Morin, stated that Howard Robinson, 68, who was a tenured professor at the university's Graduate School of Social Service, appeared to masturbate during a September 10, 2020 Zoom class. The professor was fired within days after the alleged incident.
Robinson, however, claimed in a September 16 petition this year in Bronx Superior Court that his 'erectile dysfunction' and low testosterone levels make it 'impossible' for him to masturbate or even get an erection. He also claimed that he had informed the school officials in the subsequent inquiry about his condition.
Andrea Morin recorded the 'act' on her phone
The student, Andrea Morin claimed in her lawsuit that she witnessed the prof from above his waist for a period of 1.5 minutes during which he was 'shaking, breathing hard and saying, 'oh f**k yeah'.' Court documents suggested that the incident took place when students had broken out into separate 'breakout rooms' and Morin had tuned off her camera due to illness. Morin is said to have recorded the lewd act on her phone and reported it to the authorities the same day.
Morin, in her lawsuit, alleged that she ended up failing the class after witnessing the act. She also claimed that as a result of her complaint, her scholarship was scrubbed and she was ultimately dropped from the program and couldn't complete her course of study in time to graduate in May 2021. She also noted that her civil rights were violated having witnessed the lewd act.
'I was not masturbating'
Robinson, on the other hand, denied the allegations in his petition and claimed that he was trying to send an email while struggling not to urinate due to an enlarged prostate. "The thought of masturbating was the furthest thing from my mind," he told the Daily News. He is fighting to get reinstated in the college while calling his termination a result of a 'flawed investigation.' "This process has been unfair and prejudicial and not in good faith," he noted.
Robinson stressed that his record has been sterling during his time as a faculty member and that there has never been a single complaint against him. He further alleged that he couldn't defend himself properly against the accusations by Morin and has filed the petition to force Fordham to retry the case.
