Man rejected by just one of 11 law schools files age-bias suit
A 68-year-old man who applied to 11 law schools over the past few years has filed an age-bias suit against the single school that rejected him: the UConn School of Law.
Geoffrey Akers’ lawsuit, filed last year, says he should have been accepted because of his above-average LSAT scores, his excellent essay and his many achievements, the Connecticut Law Tribune (sub. req.) reports. Akers has seven college degrees, including a doctorate from the University of Connecticut.
Akers first applied to the law school in the 1990s and was put on a wait list. At that time, he filed a complaint with the state alleging the school lacked American Indian diversity. He was rejected again when he applied to the law school in 2012 and 2013.
In addition to the lawsuit, Akers filed 14 freedom of information requests that sought demographic information on the school’s students and his own application file, according to the article. Among the documents he received in response were comments from the admissions committee, and demographic information on applicants and admitted students. The state’s FOI Commission found that the school’s response was sufficient and dismissed Akers’ complaint.
“The commission understands the complainant’s frustration with trying to ascertain the respondent’s criteria for admission; for example, the complainant asked the respondents to ‘explain in detail the “holistic” style of evaluating application that the [law school] advertises on its website,’ ” the commission said. “It is concluded, however, that the FOI Act does not require agencies to perform research or answer questions in response to requests.”
