Employees sue Vanderbilt, allege university axed them for reporting harassment

Berry raised concerns about pay inequity and sexism as early as the summer of 2023, after learning a less experienced male colleague had received a higher percentage raise. She escalated those concerns through several internal channels — her direct supervisor, human resources, and the university’s Equal Opportunity and Access Office. According to the lawsuit, the response was underwhelming. The EOA eventually closed her case, and a library HR administrator told her she should only report matters that immediately involved herself — despite Vanderbilt’s own policies requiring her, as a mandatory reporter, to flag all such conduct.

Berry then arranged a Title IX training for the library unit in September 2024. That session prompted the Title IX Office to begin looking into her original 2023 concerns for the first time. All three women participated in the ensuing investigation, sitting for multiple interviews spanning several hours, and reported violations of the university’s harassment and equal opportunity policies.

According to the filing, the investigation substantiated their claims. Vanderbilt terminated Martin on or about March 7, 2025. But what came next, the lawsuit alleges, was not resolution — it was retaliation.

The department was reorganized. A mother-son pair were placed in leadership roles despite allegedly having less experience and education than the three women. Adams and Wnuk were told to route all faculty correspondence through supervisors who, according to the filing, had no experience performing their day-to-day tasks. Both also received formal warnings that cost them annual merit increases, and in Wnuk’s case, blocked her from seeking a promotion for a year.

On or about June 1, 2025, all three women met with the Title IX office to report retaliation. Eight days later, they were placed on administrative leave in what the university described as a reduction in force and escorted out in front of colleagues. Their terminations took effect on August 8, 2025.