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Michael J. Fortunato Rachael Luken Carp Domenica B. Tomasetti
October 15, 2025
On October 1, 2025, Judge Wolson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued an Opinion and Order granting Temple University’s Motion for Summary Judgment, disposing of all claims brought by Dr. Xu Han, a former faculty member who failed to achieve tenure. Temple hired Dr. Han in 2012 as a Statistics Professor in the Fox School of Business. Following his unsuccessful tenure application in 2022, Dr. Han alleged that Temple violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (“ADEA”), Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (“Section 1981”), and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (“PHRA”) by purportedly discriminating against him on the basis of his race, national origin, sex, age, and disability. Dr. Han also claimed retaliation under the ADA, as well as violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) for interference and retaliation. The parties engaged in extensive discovery and, when that discovery concluded, Temple filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, believing that it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
Judge Wolson agreed. He found that, considering the record, Dr. Han failed to establish that he was the victim of any discrimination (disability, age, race, national origin, or sex) or retaliation and also failed to prove FMLA interference.
The case is Han v. Temple University, Case No. 2:23-cv-04433-JDW, E.D. Pa. (2025).
This article is designed to provide one perspective regarding recent legal developments, and is not intended to serve as legal advice. Always consult an attorney with specific legal issues.
