Trial set for former LSU director claiming wrongful termination

Ivor van Heerden is about to have his day in court. A jury trial is set to begin Feb. 19 before U.S. District Judge James Brady to consider the coastal researcher’s allegations that the university fired him for speaking out against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The former deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center blamed the corps’ work on the New Orleans levees for flooding in 80% of the city after Hurricane Katrina. His non-tenure-track position was cut in 2009; Van Heerden has contended he was let go because administrators feared he was hurting LSU’s chances of landing federal contracts and grants. The American Association of University Professors took up his cause in 2011, issuing a finding that LSU had violated Van Heerden’s academic freedom. Although the judge has dismissed several of Van Heerden’s claims, First Amendment allegations remain against former College of Engineering Interim Dean David Constant, as does the issue of whether Van Heerden’s 14th Amendment rights were violated. Jill Craft, who represents Van Heerden, recently told the court that attempts at mediation in January were unsuccessful. Several high-profile figures have already been subpoenaed to testify, including former Louisiana Recovery Authority Executive Director Andy Kopplin, New Orleans attorney Joe Bruno, and Paul Kemp of the Gulf Coast Initiative at the National Audubon Society. —Penny Font