In a recent legal development, Dr. John Renne has filed a civil complaint against the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System, the University of New Orleans (UNO), and several former administrators. The complaint was filed in the Civil District Court for Orleans Parish on October 31, 2023, with Dr. Renne seeking redress for unpaid wages and other grievances against the defendants.
Dr. Renne, who previously held a tenured position as an Associate Professor of Planning and Transportation Studies at UNO, alleges that he was constructively terminated from his role due to misrepresentations made by university officials regarding his salary. According to court documents, in May 2014, Dr. Renne received an offer from a university in Perth, Australia that nearly doubled his UNO salary. Upon informing UNO's then-President Dr. Peter Fos and Interim Provost Dr. Richard Hansen about this offer, discussions ensued about increasing Dr. Renne’s base salary to retain him at UNO.
Dr. Renne claims that an agreement was reached with Dr. Hansen to increase his base salary to $145,000 per year; however, this agreement was later altered without his consent to a base salary of $116,000 plus a $29,000 stipend for serving as Associate Provost. When this stipend was subsequently removed by then-Provost Dr. John Nicklow in 2015, Dr. Renne’s base salary reverted to $116,000—prompting him to resign and accept a lower-paying position at Florida Atlantic University.
In response to these events, Dr. Renne filed a lawsuit seeking unpaid wages amounting to $16,111 along with penalties, attorney’s fees, and damages for breach of contract and constructive termination among other claims such as negligent misrepresentation and detrimental reliance.
The defendants countered with a Motion for Summary Judgment aiming to dismiss UNO as an improper party since it cannot be sued as a singular entity under La. R.S. 17:3351(A)(1). They also argued that Drs. Fos and Hansen were protected by qualified immunity under La. R.S. 9:2798.1 for actions performed within their official capacities.
However, the trial court found genuine issues of material fact regarding whether Drs. Fos and Hansen acted fraudulently or intentionally misrepresented terms related to Dr. Renne’s employment contract—thereby denying the summary judgment on these grounds but agreeing that UNO should be dismissed from the case as it is not an appropriate procedural party.
On appeal filed by the defendants on October 31st within the thirty-day period allowed for supervisory review applications under Rule 4-3 of Uniform Rules—Courts of Appeal—the appellate court converted the appeal into an application for supervisory review due to its interlocutory nature.
The appellate court upheld part of the trial court's decision while reversing another portion: it agreed that genuine issues of material fact exist concerning allegations against Drs. Fos and Hansen which preclude summary judgment but reversed the decision regarding UNO’s dismissal confirming it cannot be sued directly—only through its governing body (the Board).
Representing parties include Clarence F Favret III., James C Cronvich., Jordan T LeBlanc from Favret Carriere Cronvich law firm advocating for plaintiff/appellee Dr John Renne; while Linda J L Clark., Corey L Pierce., Monica G Moton from Decuir Clark & Adams LLP represent defendant/appellant Board Supervisors University Louisiana System along with individual defendants.
The case continues under Honorable Judge Omar Mason presiding over Division “E” Civil District Court Orleans Parish identified by Case ID No: 2016-06334 Division “E”.