University of Iowa wins second case involving age-discrimination accuser

The University of Iowa, once again, has prevailed in a lawsuit filed by a College of Law applicant accusing the institution of passing him over for a professorship due to his age.

Donald Dobkin, a now 62-year-old immigration and administrative law attorney, first sued the university in 2009 after he didn't land an interview for a teaching position in 2008, when he was 55. According to that suit, the job went to a younger candidate with inferior qualifications even though administrators said they were impressed with Dobkin's resume.

Jurors heard arguments in that case in 2012 and sided with the university, finding UI officials did not discriminate against Dobkin. He was denied a new trial in that case and lost an appeal.

In July 2012, Dobkin again sued the UI College of Law based on a second attempt to land a job there in 2010. According to that lawsuit - which alleged age discrimination, discrimination of employment, and retaliation - Dobkin, 57 at the time, responded to an advertisement for a UI College of Law professor and asked to be placed among the immigration and administrative law faculty.

The UI passed him over and instead chose a 40-year-old woman with limited experience, according to the lawsuit. Dobkin, in the court documents, said he obtained a copy of scores assigned to him through the application process and - next to his name on the score sheet - saw the comments, 'plaintiff against us in age discrimination lawsuit, Eric may call general counsel about how to handle.”

According to Dobkin's suit, the college retaliated against him for his previous lawsuit 'when one of the members of the Faculty of Appointments Committee gave plaintiff a low score and specifically noted that plaintiff had a pending age discrimination lawsuit against them.”

That case went to trial March 8, and an eight-person jury on Tuesday returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the university, saying it did not discriminate or retaliate against Dobkin.

'This is the second time that a Johnson County jury has ruled in favor of the College of Law and against Mr. Dobkin,” according to a UI statement, noting that a district court refused to grant him a new trial following the first verdict and that decision as upheld upon appeal.

'The university is pleased with the jury ruling and the recognition that the law school did not discriminate and did not retaliate,” according to the UI statement.

Dobkin could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to court documents, he founded and maintained for a quarter century 'the largest independent immigration law firm in the State of Michigan” and represented clients in more than 7,000 cases before the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Dobkin has a degree from Johns Hopkins University and has written numerous law publications.