Law Schools

Yale Law School Alumni Tell Paper They Aren't Surprised By Faculty Sexual Harassment Allegations

The law school community seems to have fostered a strong culture of silence.

By  
on

Yale Law School

The investigation into Yale Law School’s Jed Rubenfeld reported earlier this year got a lot of people thinking about the intersection of Yale Law School’s commitment to naked social climbing and complicity in sexual harassment. Coming to light in the midst of the school “endorsing” Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, these allegations placed a good deal of tarnish on Yale Law’s sterling reputation.

But a new article from Yale Daily News focuses on one of the most disturbing aspects of that intersection that Above the Law also uncovered while researching the story — just how many current and former Yale Law School folks have reacted to the allegations against Rubenfeld and, by extension, his wife Professor Amy Chua, with a collective “yeah, that makes sense.”

From the Yale Daily News article:

“It was not a surprise to basically any woman in my class that this investigation is going on,” said Grace Kao LAW ’15 in an interview with the News.

This tracks with conversations we had where people with connections to Yale Law told us, “oh that’s an open secret,” leaving us a little shellshocked at the extent of the culture of silence. A byproduct of the #MeToo era is an increased awareness that power dynamics lend themselves to silencing allegations of misconduct, but the extent in this case, with comments from people spanning years of association with the school drove home how powerful that culture can be.

It’s worth remembering that this alone doesn’t prove any of the allegations against Rubenfeld or Chua. Gossip can create a consensus of opinion that’s also wholly inaccurate. But that so many held these opinions and yet no one felt comfortable and supported to raise the issue before is astounding.

Sponsored

But that’s what happens when so much professional power is concentrated in the hands of a couple people. Discussing the letter signed by over 80 law students objecting to Rubenfeld’s infamous op-ed, “Mishandling Rape” — where he aired all sorts of retrograde views on the incidence of campus rape:

“I had a lot of classmates who are always very worried about putting their name on something like that,” Kao said, adding that when she signed the letter herself, she felt that she was also signing it on behalf of classmates who could not because of their professional aspirations.

A powerful statement about the value of allies willing to take the hit for people who aren’t in a position to.

However, as someone who writes articles for a living, let’s focus on the ultimate in petty dropped at the end of this article from the Yale Daily News. The very last line in this long exploration of an ongoing misconduct investigation:

Rubenfeld graduated from Harvard Law School in 1986.

Sponsored

That’s some quality petty right there. Ten points to Yale.

YLS alumni reflect on Rubenfeld allegations [Yale News]

Earlier: Details On The Allegations Against, And Yale Law School Investigation Into, Professor Jed Rubenfeld
Yale Law Students Protest, Referring To School As ‘Model Of Complicity’ When It Comes To Sexual Harassment
Yale Law Community Fed Up With Unswerving Fixation On Social Climbing That Defines Yale Law

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

Topics

, , , , , ,