DThe Goethe University has separated from a lecturer against whom allegations of abuse have been made in several media reports. The church historian, whose name is known to the FAZ, worked in the Department of Catholic Theology until 2021. According to the magazine “Der Spiegel”, six students accuse him of violating their boundaries and abusing his power. The online portal kath.ch, which is operated by the Catholic Media Center on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland, also reported on the case.
Among other things, the man is said to have masturbated during his online seminar lessons and had oral sex with a student who was in his office and filmed it. He is also said to have hit the woman on the thigh with a leather whip during a seminar while the student's hands were tied with her consent. This was not visible in the image section for the seminar participants. The relationship was initially amicable, it was said, but later the student, who was employed as an assistant, felt manipulated. The theologian promised to promote her career and offered her the prospect of a doctoral position.
Settlement before the labor court
As “Spiegel” further writes, the Goethe University revoked the lecturer’s appointment as a substitute professor in 2021 and later terminated him. The man then filed a dismissal protection claim with the Frankfurt Labor Court. This was negotiated in September 2021. The university and the lecturer had agreed to terminate the employment relationship by mutual consent. The labor court confirmed the procedure and the settlement to the FAZ, but did not provide any details.
According to “Spiegel”, the woman reported the lecturer in January 2021 because he had uploaded intimate recordings of her to the Internet without her consent. The Rottenburg district court then sentenced him to a fine of 4,500 euros. After leaving Goethe University, the man worked in a leading position in a church music association, where, according to “Spiegel”, he was laid off in the summer of 2023. He is also said to have shown aggressive behavior there, as well as at a university in Baden-Württemberg where he worked before moving to Frankfurt.
The spokesman for Goethe University did not want to comment on the case because it was a personnel matter. The lawyer who represented the lecturer before the Frankfurt labor court told the FAZ that his client had forbidden him from providing information. The lawyer who is said to have represented the accused criminally also declined to comment. The accused also did not comment to “Spiegel”.
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