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March 4, 1999

Pitt's statement on the Henson case

Pitt's administration issued the following statement about the Henson case on Feb. 18:

The University of Pittsburgh is proud of its long-standing record of respect for the civil rights of those with whom it deals. Relying upon well-established legal principles in defending itself against an employee benefits lawsuit is not a departure from that record, and accusations to that effect are simply untrue.

In that lawsuit, a former legal writing instructor contends that her rights under a provision of the City of Pittsburgh code were violated when her "same-sex partner" was denied University-subsidized health insurance coverage. However, such benefits are not currently provided by any other college or university in this region, or by any of Pennsylvania's state-owned or state-related universities, or by the vast majority of the area's private employers. In fact, it is our understanding that the City of Pittsburgh does not provide such benefits to its own employees.

The University did not initiate this lawsuit. However, it will continue to defend the claims against it on the ground that the plaintiff is seeking benefits to which she is not legally entitled.


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