Dai, Theobald lawyers scheduled to meet

Former provost Hai-Lung Dai filed suit against former president Neil Theobald, alleging slander and libel.

Former Provost Hai-Lung Dai speaks at the opening of the Science Education and Research Center in 2014. KARA MILSTEIN | TTN FILE PHOTO

Lawyers representing Temple’s former provost Hai-Lung Dai and former president Neil Theobald, will meet on Feb. 3 at a case management conference to address Dai’s suit against his former boss.

The conference will discuss the “logistics” of the upcoming case, like the timeline or the potential to settle the case through arbitration, a representative from Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Denis Cohen’s chambers said.

Former Provost Hai-Lung Dai speaks at the opening of the Science Education and Research Center in 2014. KARA MILSTEIN | TTN FILE PHOTO
Former Provost Hai-Lung Dai speaks at the opening of the Science Education and Research Center in 2014. KARA MILSTEIN | TTN FILE PHOTO

Judge Cohen and Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Arnold New are the two case team leaders who are overseeing the case, but no judge has been assigned to the conference yet.

Dai is suing for at least $50,000 in damages, according to court records.

Dai filed a civil suit against Theobald in September, two months after he was unexpectedly removed from his position as provost in June. Theobald agreed to resign in July after the Board of Trustees voted “no confidence” in his leadership for his handling of Dai’s departure and the university’s merit scholarship program.

Before stepping down from his position as president, Theobald hinted in a letter to the Board that the removal was a result of his refusal to cover up an alleged sexual harassment allegation aimed at the former provost.

Theobald told The Temple News in August that he is still a member of the College of Education’s faculty. He was recently a finalist for the University of Northern Iowa’s search for a president, although he was not offered the position. Dai still serves as the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Chemistry.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in Room 613 of City Hall.

Gillian McGoldrick can be reached at gillian.mcgoldrick@temple.edu or on Twitter @gill_mcgoldrick.

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