PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2011

MEDIA CONTACTS
Gina Snow, 415-563-5333
gsnow@gsacommunications.com
John Fonseca, 510-452-0292
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Yale Title IX Complainants Inspired by 1980 Landmark Title IX Case Fought by Plaintiff Pamela Y. Price

Now A Bay Area Civil Rights Attorney Price Speaks Out About Sexual Harassment at Yale Over 30 Years Ago

(Oakland, CA – April 8, 2011) In 1977, when a student at Yale University, Oakland based civil rights plaintiff attorney Pamela Y. Price, Esq. joined the landmark case Alexander v. Yale, the first sexual harassment case brought under Title IX. Over thirty years later, this case was cited by 2011 complainants as their inspiration to pursue a new Title IX complaint against Yale, resulting in a federal investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, announced last week.

Despite the case ultimately being lost in 1980, the lawsuit was the impetus for the establishment of sexual harassment grievance procedures on every college and university campus in America, large and small. The Office for Civil Rights investigators will perform a “climate check” over the next month into whether Yale has allowed a hostile sexual climate to persist. Title IX requires that educational institutions provide equal opportunity to women and men and prohibits gender discrimination.

Sixteen Yale students and alumni decided to pursue the Title IX complaint after a group of Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) pledges chanted misogynist slogans such as “No means yes, yes means anal” on Yale’s Old Campus last October. One complainant referred to the DKE episode as “the last straw” in a long chain of public and private instances of sexual misconduct in recent years. [Source: Yale Daily News 4/4/11 article: Students, admins react to Title IX complaint.]

“While some progress has been made since 1980, the fight for civil rights and the need to guard against sexual harassment and discrimination in all forms continues to the present day,” Attorney Pamela Y. Price stated. “It is disappointing to learn that the climate of sexual harassment that existed at Yale in 1977 persists on the university’s campus today.”

Price joined the Alexander v. Yale case because Raymond Duvall, one of her professors at the time, offered to give her an “A” in his course if she would have sex with him. He implied that Price would get a “C” if she declined his offer. She graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Political Science in 1978.

The Court dismissed five other plaintiffs in the landmark case including Ronnie Alexander, the original plaintiff. Price was the only plaintiff to proceed to trial in January 1979, in the U.S. District Court in New Haven. In June 1979, the Court ultimately rendered a verdict in favor of Yale. The decision was affirmed by the Second Circuit in September 1980. Alexander (Price) v. Yale, 459 F.Supp. 1 (D.Conn. 1979), 631 F.2d 178 (2nd Cir. 1980)

“Sexual harassment, especially at an institution of higher education, should not be tolerated in any form or viewed as mere taunts or poor judgment and bad behavior on the part of a few fraternity pledges,” said Attorney Price. “The Second Circuit decision in 1980 ended three long years of litigation. Despite losing that case, satisfaction comes in knowing that the case has provided others with the inspiration to speak out and a forum in which to pursue equality,” Attorney Price added.

Price received her J.D. and a Master’s degree in Jurisprudence & Social Policy from the University of California at Berkeley in 1981. After practicing civil and criminal law for ten years, she founded the law firm of Price And Associates in June 1991 with the vision to establish a minority and woman-owned litigation firm specializing in civil rights cases.

Among recent sexual harassment discrimination cases, on February 24, 2011, Price And Associates filed a Complaint with the United States District Court in Oakland on behalf of client Paulina Kanbar against her former employer, O’Melveny & Myers, for Fraud, Declaratory Relief and Wrongful Termination.

“The plaintiff’s complaint comes at a time when jobs are hard to come by and an employee’s rights must be championed and protected against unfair practices. My staff and I work diligently to represent our clients’ best interests to that end,” said Attorney Price.

Price is currently the co-chair of The San Francisco Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. On Friday, April 8th, she receives the Heman Marion Sweatt Award, bestowed by the National Bar Association (NBA) upon plaintiff attorneys who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of civil rights. The award will be presented to Price and co-recipient Attorney John L. Burris during a reception from 7-10 p.m. at Hs. Lordships, 199 Seawall Drive, Berkeley, CA. The NBA’s Mid-Year Conference & Annual Gertrude E. Rush Award Dinner is being held at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, CA from April 7-10, 2011 (www.nationalbar.org).

About Pamela Y. Price, Esq.
Pamela Y. Price attended Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley where she received her J.D. and a Master’s degree in Jurisprudence & Social Policy in 1982. She started her career practicing civil and criminal law in the Bayview-Hunter’s Point district in San Francisco. After ten (10) years in practice, in 1991 she founded the law firm of Price And Associates in Oakland, CA with the vision to establish a minority and woman-owned litigation firm specializing in civil rights cases. Representing men and women of all races, the Firm’s mission is to provide access to justice. Price And Associates has become known for its involvement in several high-profile sexual harassment and racial discrimination cases, including its victory in the United States Supreme Court in Morgan v. Amtrak, 232 F.3d 1008 (9th Cir. 2000), 536 U.S. 101, 112 S.Ct. 1516 (2002). The Firm has recently moved into new offices at 901 Clay Street near City Center in downtown Oakland. For more information, visit www.pypesq.com.

[NOTE to Editors/Reporters: Attorney Pamela Y. Price is available for further comments and/or interviews. To arrange, contact: Gina Snow, GSA Communications at 415-563-5333, or gsnow@gsacommunications.com.]