CLARKSBURG — A man says West Virginia University violated his freedom of speech and discriminated against him based on his age and race.
Bryant Keith Young claims WVU, the WVU Board of Governors and Dr. Kathleen O’Hearn Ryan “knowingly and intentionally sabotaged” his reputation by investigating him without due process, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Young claims he was a student in Ryan’s English 200 class last year and was called into her office in March 2020 to speak with him regarding “false accusations that were made against him.”
Young says he is a SAG-AFTRA union actor and has participated in plays and films. He says he occasionally shoots and directs his own independent short films. That semester, he had asked several students to participate in his latest independent film, some of which were in his English class.
“When Dr. Ryan called plaintiff into her office, she automatically said to him that she received complaints that he was ‘pressuring’ some female students to be a part of a short film,” the complaint states.
Young claims when he told Ryan the claims were false, but that he saw talent in these students, she responded with, “Well, let them use that talent for something else.”
Young claims in July, he requested an investigation into the matter with the Office of Student Conduct regarding the students who had made false accusations against him and the office noted there were no complaints against him with the office. He then contacted the director of equity assurance, who informed him that Ryan had come to him for an investigation and he had denied the request.
Young claims that Ryan had gone on her own to have Young investigated for no reason.
Young is seeking compensatory damages in the amount of $1 million. He is representing himself.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia case number: 1:21-cv-00035
