UC settles race discrimination case, pays $130K to former Cincinnati health commissioner

The University of Cincinnati is paying $130,000 to former Cincinnati health commissioner Noble Maseru and his attorneys to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed nearly five years ago.

The full nonadmission settlement can be found at the end of this story, or by clicking here.

Noble Maseru said the university wouldn't interview him for an associate professor in health policy management role because he is a Black man, according to the lawsuit he filed in February 2018. He applied for the job in October of 2016.

Maseru was hired as city health commissioner in 2005 and served until his retirement in June 2016. He attended Wayne State University as an undergraduate, earned his master's in public health from Emory University School of Medicine and earned a doctorate in health policy from Atlanta University. He served as the founding director of Morehouse School of Medicine's master of public health program in Atlanta before moving to Cincinnati to become health commissioner.

Maseru wrote in his complaint that he "was highly qualified for the position" with over 30 years of experience in public health, but was not given the chance to interview for the role. The university hired "a less-qualified Caucasian" instead, he wrote, and at least two members of the search committee knew Maseru was Black.

The case was set for trial but dismissed in mid-October, court records show. The university agreed to a settlement on Nov. 2, which includes paying more than $82,000 to Maseru and nearly $44,000 to Maseru's attorneys at Tobias, Torchia & Simon.

Maseru, in turn, agreed not to seek a position at the university or in connection with the university again.

Both UC and Maseru declined to comment about the settlement to The Enquirer.

UC/Maseru settlment by CincinnatiEnquirer

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC settles discrimination case, pays $130K to former health commissioner