Plaintiff accuses university employer of systemic failure to address harassment

A former employee of a major university is taking legal action against his previous employer, alleging systemic failures in addressing workplace harassment and retaliation. On February 3, 2026, Joseph Lyberger filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against The Ohio State University (OSU) and several individuals associated with the institution.

The lawsuit claims that OSU failed to protect Lyberger after he reported sexual harassment and threats from a female coworker. Despite consistently performing well in his role as a Defensive Analyst for the football program from 2021 until his termination on April 23, 2025, Lyberger alleges that OSU ignored his reports of escalating harassment and retaliatory hostility. Instead of investigating under Title VII or Title IX, OSU allegedly terminated him based on “shifting, inconsistent, and unsupported explanations” which were pretexts for discrimination and retaliation. The complaint accuses OSU of applying gendered assumptions about credibility that disadvantaged Lyberger because he is male.

Lyberger’s troubles began in early 2023 when administrative assistant Madison Lowe allegedly engaged in inappropriate conduct towards him. After rejecting her advances at a team event in February 2023, their relationship soured, leading to Lowe’s alleged retaliatory behavior. This included making threats such as “I am going to ruin your career,” which Lyberger reported to his supervisor Quinn Tempel. However, no corrective action was taken. Subsequently, Lowe and another staff member filed complaints against Lyberger with allegations found to be unsubstantiated by OSU investigations.

Despite these findings, OSU dismissed Lyberger’s own complaints without explanation while allowing retaliatory complaints against him to proceed. The lawsuit highlights an incident where Lowe accused Lyberger of assault during his medical leave—an allegation disproven by evidence showing he was not present on campus at the time. Additionally, it details how a hidden camera installed by another staff member was used to fabricate evidence against him.

The complaint seeks various forms of relief including back pay, compensatory damages for emotional distress and reputational harm, punitive damages against individual defendants for willful misconduct, reinstatement or front pay in lieu thereof, injunctive relief requiring OSU to correct discriminatory practices and remove disciplinary findings from Lyberger’s records. It also requests attorney’s fees and costs associated with litigation.

Representing Joseph Lyberger are attorneys Chanda L. Brown and Sean L. Walton from Walton + Brown LLP based in Columbus, Ohio. The case is presided over by Judge Algenon L. Marbley under Case ID: 2:26-cv-00119-ALM-KAJ.