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3.99 MB

Extraction Summary

7
People
9
Organizations
4
Locations
4
Events
5
Relationships
8
Quotes

Document Information

Type: Written statement / rebuttal (likely to a journalist or investigator)
File Size: 3.99 MB
Summary

This document is a detailed written rebuttal by a male academic (likely Lawrence Krauss based on biographical details like the move from Case to ASU to ANU) responding to specific allegations of misconduct numbered 1 through 6. The author denies the allegations, clarifying that a 'female companion' was his wife, describing a student relationship as professional mentorship, and citing university investigations (ASU and ANU) that cleared him of wrongdoing regarding a 2016 'selfie' incident. The text highlights the author's frustration with anonymous third-party complaints and alleged violations of confidentiality agreements regarding past HR matters.

People (7)

Name Role Context
The Author Respondent/Subject of allegations
Male faculty member/physicist who moved from Case to ASU to ANU. Defending against allegations of misconduct.
Author's Wife Spouse
Identified as the 'female companion' in item 5; accompanied author in taxi with student in 2008.
The Student Student/Mentee
Female student interested in science communication (Item 2). Author claims she asked for advice and coffee; author wr...
Human Resources Person University Staff
Person the author spoke to regarding the student complaint at Case.
Anonymous 3rd Party Complainant
Made the claim in Item 3 and Item 6.
Conference Attendee (Selfie Subject) Subject of alleged incident
Woman involved in the 'selfie' incident (Item 6) in Nov 2016. Did not lodge a formal complaint.
Observer Complainant
Person who made the allegations regarding the selfie incident (Item 6).

Timeline (4 events)

2006
Consensual encounter in hotel room (Item 1)
Hotel room
The Author Unnamed person
2008
AAAS Conference; Author and wife gave student a lift in a taxi
AAAS Conference location
November 2016
Conference incident involving a selfie and alleged touching (Item 6)
Conference
The Author Conference Attendee
Unknown (Time of Item 2)
BBC Interview off campus
Off campus

Relationships (5)

The Author Faculty/Student The Student
Author wrote letter of recommendation; student asked for career advice.
The Author Spouse Author's Wife
Explicitly stated 'my wife'.
The Author Employment ASU
Accepted an offer at ASU.
The Author Employment Case
Intentions to leave Case.
The Author Employment ANU
Temporary suspension of my position at ANU.

Key Quotes (8)

"The items you list are false or distorted."
Source
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Quote #1
"The ‘female companion’ in this case is my wife, who can attest to the fact that the claim is false"
Source
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Quote #2
"I try to treat even students as respected colleagues if possible."
Source
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Quote #3
"I was told that no formal complaint of sexual harassment was deemed at that time to be called for, and that the young woman in question had agreed to that."
Source
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Quote #4
"The complaint was investigated throughly by both ASU and ANU and both came to the conclusion that it was not credible and no university policies had been violated."
Source
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Quote #5
"The allegations were made by an observer to the incident."
Source
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Quote #6
"The complainant alleged that a photo exists, showing your hand on the breast of the conference attendee who took the ‘selfie’ photo. This photo was not made available to the Australian National University"
Source
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Quote #7
"I specifically request selfies not to include flashes, so that I don’t end up with a series bright spots in front of my eyes"
Source
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Quote #8

Full Extracted Text

Complete text extracted from the document (7,384 characters)

The items you list are false or distorted. Item 1 refers falsely and inaccurately to a consensual encounter in my hotel room in 2006
where we mutually decided, in a polite discussion in fact, that taking it any further would not be appropriate, and there were respectful
and platonic encounters afterwards. There is nothing to comment on in item 3, which involves an anonymous 3rd party claim
because I know nothing about it, there are no details provided, and it clearly was not taken seriously enough to result in any university
action. Item 4 is confusing. Are you saying that because I decided I didn’t want to go out to a bar with a group of attendees that I was
harassing them? The second part did not happen. Re incident 5: The ‘female companion’ in this case is my wife, who can attest to
the fact that the claim is false, which is what I wrote at the time in response to the blog in question, causing it to be taken down.
It is worth responding to Item 2 and 6 in more detail,
Re item 2: the student in question was interested in science communication, and on dozens of occasions came to me or wrote to me
with questions. When she asked about advice for after graduation I DID tell her she was different than the other students in her
year. The rest of them were interested in going on to graduate school, but she was interested in science communication so I told her
that she might want to take a different path. Since she was the only woman in her year, as I recall, I did ask her on one of these
occasions if that made it difficult for her in any way. I asked, because as a faculty member I was interested in knowing what we could
do, if necessary to encourage more women to go into physics, and also because as someone she had asked for career advice from I
wanted to know if that made a difference to her. Re asking her for dinner.. I have gone back over emails from that period. I have
numerous requests from her asking me to go for coffee to talk, which I usually had to turn down because I was busy, and on several
occasions sh specifically asked me to have coffee with her off campus to talk, and I politely declined. I did let her accompany me off
campus one time to watch me do a BBC interview because she specifically requested it. I did and do have coffee and meals with
students on campus, and I see nothing wrong with this. I try to treat even students as respected colleagues if possible. I was shocked
when I later learned of the complaint she was apparently asked to lodge to the University, not least because there was no
inappropriate interaction and also because, well after the dates you listed on which she was apparently offended, she continued to
email me with joking questions or comments. Also, at a later AAAS conference, again in 2008, for which she had asked, and for
which I had written her a letter of recommendation to attend, my wife and I gave her a lift in our taxi well out out of our way in order to
drop her off at her hotel, and I note in an email response to her email about the conference, agin in 2008, I expressed that I would
pass her regards along to my wife and vice versa. When the University later informed me of the complaint I was shocked and
concerned. When I spoke to the human resources person, including relating my concerns and providing the emails in question, I was
told that no formal complaint of sexual harassment was deemed at that time to be called for, and that the young woman in question
had agreed to that. By that time I learned of the complaint I had already announced my intentions to leave Case to accept an offer at
ASU—a very difficult decision for me because of my long-standing attachment to the University, and the excellent relations I had with
my colleagues there, both among the faculty and among the administration. Because I was already in Arizona at the time I was asked
not to have any further interaction with the student I agreed to that request, both to respect her sensitivities and also because it was
basically moot because I was not on campus. I was also told that because it was being handled informally, that (a) it should remain
confidential, which I, at least abided by, and (b) if no further complaints were lodged in that case, that the University would remove the
complaint from my record after 5 years, which makes me surprised that someone violated that written agreement with you.
Re item 6: You report on ASU’s response to item #6 , without including the fact that the University specifically stated there were never
any allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment by me at the University, and moreover the outside complaints were in fact related
specifically to your item #6. Further you neglect to mention that this complaint was by an anonymous third party, not the individual
who was allegedly harassed, who never lodged a complaint, and that no specific evidence was provided of the alleged
transgression. I was surprised and dismayed that both ASU and ANU launched investigations on the basis of this but was told by both
Universities that because of my high profile even such unsubstantiated third party complaints at private events unrelated to the
University would be investigated. The complaint was investigated throughly by both ASU and ANU and both came to the conclusion
that it was not credible and no university policies had been violated. . In addition ANU’s investigation, which took a full month found
significant inconsistencies in the allegation, suggesting distortion and fabrication, I will quote from the ANU report. The initial
complaint, which in fact resulted in a temporary suspension of my position at ANU, until it was dismissed, outlined the claim you made
in the words you quoted in your note to me, but it also stated
"It is the University’s understanding that a complaint was lodged directly to the conference organisers at the time of the incident."
After the month-long investigation, during which I was told I was not to interact with anyone on campus (again moot because I was a
hemisphere removed) the final report absolved me of any wrongdoing, and indicated information inconsistent with the original claim
and apparent later claims as follows in the report, from which I quote:
"The allegations were made by an observer to the incident.
- The complaint did not identify, nor disclose the identity of the conference attendee who was allegedly touched in
an unwelcome manner.
- The conference attendee who took the ‘selfie’ photo did not lodge a formal complaint to the conference organisers
at the time of the incident (November 2016).
- The conference attendee who witnessed the incident, did not lodge a formal complaint to the conference organisers
at the time of the incident (November 2016).
The photo submitted as part of the complaint does not provide evidence of any physical contact.
- The complainant alleged that a photo exists, showing your hand on the breast of the conference attendee who took
the ‘selfie’ photo. This photo was not made available to the Australian National University, although it was requested
in the course of the investigation."
(And for the record I often put my hand up in front of a camera if there is a flash, as I specifically request selfies not to include flashes,
so that I don’t end up with a series bright spots in front of my eyes for the next half hour)
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