Articles

Factual Account of Court's Rulings and Erroneous News Reports

Apr 22, 2022

Dear HCC Family,

We are one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in the country.  It is a source of great pride and focus.  And, we are unwavering in our commitment to providing a safe, equitable and inclusive learning, teaching and working environment for all.  This is core to who we are and how we approach our work – “One College”.

Some of you may have seen a recent news report about a court’s rulings in a case brought against the College by a former employee.  The report does not support the facts and harms the reputation of our institution.  Accordingly, it is important to share the true outcome of the judge’s rulings.
 
On Tuesday, April 19, 2022, a Houston federal court issued two orders in the case of Brown v. Houston Community College.  The net effect of the two orders is summarized below.

• The plaintiff’s request to add 100-plus plaintiffs to the case as a multi-party, class action seeking damages of $100 million dollars has been denied by the court.  This means the case now involves only a single former employee.
• The court dismissed part of the former employee’s claims and allowed other claims to proceed for now.  HCC will submit its side of the story to the court at the appropriate time and ask the court to dismiss those remaining claims based on the truth.

At the onset of this lawsuit, the College categorically rejected the plaintiff’s assertions of harm to any group through its operations.  It is not who we are or how we operate our College. We believe that the court’s decision accurately reflects HCC’s values and goals.  We will continue to rigorously defend the institution in the sole remaining case of one former employee.  All claims against the individual defendants have been dismissed.
 
Our focus remains on what is true and most important to the College – the success of our students and the on-going support of our faculty and staff.  We look forward to the important work ahead as we continue this semester and build on the successes of each of our students. 
 
Thank you for maintaining your focus on what matters most – helping our students finish this semester strong.

Sincerely,

Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E.
Chancellor