The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana issued a summary judgement in favor of the University and dismissed all claims against the University in a lawsuit brought by former education professor Teresa Buchanan.
“We are pleased with the summary judgment that shows that the university’s actions regarding Ms. Buchanan were appropriate,” said LSU President F. King Alexander. “As we have stated many times, we take our responsibility to protect students, faculty and staff and to ensure that they have a safe educational and harassment-free environment very seriously.”
Buchanan was fired in 2015 over allegations she made repeated profane comments to students about her sex life and the sex lives of students. The court found these comments were not protected speech under the First Amendment. 
A panel of faculty members evaluated the case and found Buchanan violated the University’s sexual harassment policy but did not recommend her firing. The LSU Board of Supervisors voted to terminate her after Alexander recommended her dismissal from the University. 
The court also said President Alexander’s decision to recommend Buchanan’s dismissal was reasonable under University policy. 
“We had documented evidence of a history of inappropriate behavior that included verbal abuse, intimidation and harassment of our students, and we are pleased that the court agreed with the university’s actions,” Alexander said.