Deafness Center Ex-Chief to Sue Over His Dismissal

Ray Jones, former director of the National Center on Deafness at California State University, Northridge, said Monday that he is suing the university to get his old job back.

The lawsuit, which will be filed in Superior Court on Wednesday, seeks a temporary restraining order prohibiting the university from seeking a replacement and asks for reinstatement of Jones as director, said his attorney, Louis J. Henry.

CSUN President James W. Cleary removed Jones, 68, from his post last month after the administration concluded that new leadership was needed to rejuvenate the center. The university was concerned not only about the quality of the programs at the nationally renowned center, but with erosion of federal funding.

Jones, however, attributes his ouster to age discrimination.

“University officials have been pressuring me to step down and retire for the past several years,” Jones said. “According to their press statements, they want new blood at the National Center on Deafness, meaning someone younger. Apparently they equate age with the ability to be dynamic and innovative.”

Donald Cameron, associate vice president of faculty affairs, said he could not comment on the lawsuit’s allegations until he sees a copy of the suit. He said administration officials have not heard from Jones since they offered him a job as a tenured professor in the department of educational administration, supervision and higher education.

Cameron said the five-member search committee seeking a replacement for Jones will announce its findings next week.

Jones is also alleging in his lawsuit that he is a victim of wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.

The suit asks $10 million in punitive damages, $1 million in general damages and $1 million for mental and emotional stress.

“University officials have made statements to the press saying that I am responsible for certain university programs for the deaf not getting federal funding and for the center’s loss of prestige within the deaf community,” Jones said. “This is simply not true.”