Independent University Newspaper
Copenhagen Business School

Popular searches:

Independent University Newspaper

Copenhagen Business School

Students suspended because of “Slutty Fall Break” invitation take CBS to court

The six students who, in 2019, were suspended for nine months after sending a private party invitation are now suing CBS. Three separate lawsuits have been filed against CBS from students seeking financial compensation. CBS Legal says CBS does not intend to settle and will take all three cases to court.

News |   25. Jan 2023

Caroline Hammargren

Journalist

The six students were suspended from CBS for nine months in the fall of 2019. They had sent out a Facebook party invitation that, according to CBS, was sexist and broke CBS rules of conduct. The invitation included sexual references and encouraged heavy drinking. It was picked up by the Danish newspaper Berlingske.

Though it was a private party, and the invitation was sent out after Intro week, the students signed the invite “Vejlederteamet” (“The counsellor team”), which, according to CBS, made the invite appear to be associated with CBS.

Twenty more students at CBS were also suspended during the fall semester of 2019 for shorter periods of around four months, mainly for disciplinary cases related to Intro week. The suspensions eventually triggered an inquiry into sexual harassment at CBS and a later reform of the introduction week.

The six students behind the party invitation were suspended for nine months, leaving them a whole academic year behind.

The students claim that the suspension delayed the completion of their studies, and with that, their possibility to start working and earning money. Therefore, they are suing CBS for compensation.

The students have previously filed a complaint about the case with the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science, and later the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman, who, in March 2022, concluded that, though the punishment was justified, it was too severe and disproportionate. The Ombudsman’s decision, however, has no legal repercussions for CBS.

In May 2022, CBS received a claim for compensation from the six students, which CBS refused. In December 2022, CBS received two separate subpoenas from two students and one joint subpoena from four students, who are seeking DKK 130,000 each in compensation.

The four students behind the last lawsuit are represented by lawyer Mads Pramming, who has said to Berlingske that he believes they have a good case.

“I would have expected that they would have been scolded and received a warning. If you really wanted to put your foot down, you could have suspended them. A week, a month, what do I know, but not something that affected their studies,” he said.

CBS WIRE has tried to reach Mads Pramming for a comment.

CBS will go to court

CBS does not intend to seek a settlement, which means the case will be brought before the court of Frederiksberg.

“CBS clearly finds that we have not acted in any way that renders us liable to pay any compensation to the students. Obviously, a lawsuit is expensive, but as a public university, we do not have the basis to settle unless ‘…there is every probability that [we] in a lawsuit will be sentenced to pay compensation’, which we and the attorney to the government assess to not be the case,” Mette Kuhlen Gullach writes to CBS WIRE citing the Ministry of Finance’s budget guidance, which CBS follows.

CBS estimates the court costs will amount to around DKK 300,000, excluding taxes.

The lawsuits are expected to be heard in court sometime during 2023 or 2024.

CBS WIRE has been in touch with the students behind the latest lawsuit, who decline to comment.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Students suspended because of “Slutty Fall Break” invitation take CBS to courtby

  • Blog

    Uncertain times: Essential for business schools to understand their market

    The alliance of European business schools met at CBS in June to enhance recruitment strategies, stay informed on industry trends, and analyse where the global economy is heading. The CBS MBA Programmes shares some key take-aways from Associate Dean and Professor Jesper Rangvid’s presentation.

  • News

    Working hard all summer: Bachelor Admissions

    The employees in charge of bachelor admissions at CBS are a small exclusive team. They ensure the validity of diplomas and the fulfilment of entry requirements for bachelor’s degrees at CBS – and, not least, that the applicants get the necessary help to upload the right documentation and find their way around the application procedures.

  • News

    Union reps want transparency about redundancy packages

    The unions are hoping for a fair process – and the AC club is calling for transparency about redundancy packages. Academic union representatives expect that actual dismissals can be avoided among faculty members, whereas administrative staff are expecting layoffs.

  • Gif of the week
  • News

    Snapshots: CBS staff busy preparing for a new semester

    For the staff at CBS, the weeks and sometimes even months leading up to study start are spent busily preparing for new and returning students and a brand-new semester.

  • Guide

    Those odd little words

    Some words of advice from CBS WIRE’s proofreader Helen Dyrbye, a British expat who has lived in Denmark for decades. Here she explains a few tiny words that can occasionally spell BIG trouble.

  • News

    Community is key for study start 2023

    This year, showing both new and returning students the concept of ‘community’ at CBS is a top priority. There is room for everyone, and you can find others that share the same interests as you. Those are the key messages from the Student Communications team. This is highlighted by two campaigns, during the introduction week and at the Bachelor Kick Off.

  • News

    CBS at Copenhagen Pride – in photos

    2023 is the first year for the new organisation Colorful CBS to organise the participation in Copenhagen Pride Parade.

Follow CBS students studying abroad

CBS WIRE collaborates with Videnskab.dk

Stay connected

Close