HUNTSVILLE Ala.
A former Alabama A&M assistant professor has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was fired because of racial discrimination.
Dr. Jiann-Min Chang, 51, a native of Taiwan, filed suit on June 28 claiming he was also denied tenure and paid less because of his race and national origin.
Chang is seeking lost wages and benefits, unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and payment of his legal fees.
Alabama A&M general counsel Kenneth Hairston declined comment Friday, citing university policy on personnel matters and pending litigation.
Chang, who holds a Ph.D. in physics, was hired in 1997 and fired on May 15, 2006 because of an argument with university administrator Dr. Shirley Houzer, who was acting vice president of academic affairs, the suit said.
Houzer, who is black, threatened to fire Chang, who taught a physics lab, when he did not allow a black female student to make up an examination she had missed 15 days earlier, according to the lawsuit.