University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor John Wiley acted lawfully when he forced a former top aide to step down and use sick leave during an absence in which he looked for other jobs, a federal judge ruled.
U.S. District Judge John Shabaz dismissed a lawsuit claiming Wiley violated the due process rights of Paul Barrows when he made him use his own assets to cover a nearly eight-month absence.
The ruling is the latest development in a messy personnel case that has embarrassed UW-Madison, the state’s 40,000-student flagship university. The case already has led to a series of personnel reforms, a reprimand against Wiley and a torrent of criticism from state lawmakers and Gov. Jim Doyle.