The Stanford Daily: Stanford Medicine professor (José Montoya) fired for violating University rules of conduct (june 2019)

I'm surprised that he didn't know the identity of his accusers throughout the investigation until after he'd been fired and read it in the the Stanford article.

 

So much for the rules of "natural justice".

 

I just put that observation up there, without meaning anything by it. It doesn't necessarily mean that there was anything wrong with the investigation, for example they could have had enough evidence / witnesses without having to call members of the ME/CFS team. I've no idea how Stanford investigates such matters.

 

It is not uncommon that complainants’ identities are not revealed to the one the complaint is about. I think it is meant to address people’s fear about coming forward, but unfortunately I think it can also have the effect of not allowing a fair hearing.

 

Source: Stanford Daily
Date: June 6, 2019
Author: Julia Ingram & Claire Wang
URL:
https://www.stanforddaily.com/2019/...gizes-cites-cultural-differences-for-conduct/

Medicine professor fired for sexual misconduct apologizes, cites cultural differences for conduct
----------------------------------------------------------

Stanford Medical Center professor Jose Montoya, who was fired after a University investigation found that he had violated University code of conduct policies related to sexual harassment, misconduct and assault, said he 'sincerely apologize' to anyone who he 'offended,' in a statement to The Daily sent by his lawyer David Nied.

Montoya, who formerly directed the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Initiative, added that the events that occurred since March - when a group of affected women first raised their concerns to Stanford - have been a 'huge surprise. It was even more shattering to learn, through the June 4 Stanford Daily article, that it was members of my Stanford ME/CFS team who experienced some of my behaviors as attempts at unsolicited sexual acts, harassment and misconduct,' he wrote.

continued at link

 

Denial runs deep. How many years has he gotten away with this?

 

I wonder if identities were confidential in order to prevent harassment, etc.
For instance, before, during and after testifying at confirmation hearings for (US) Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh, Dr. Blasey Ford was subjected to intense harassment, had to hire security, she and family had to leave their own home for many months......

 

Well, now this is national news.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/stanf...-alleged-sexual-misconduct-that-got-him-fired

I almost can't believe that he'd put this response out there. "I didn't know any better because..." I mean, I don't want to dogpile in the same context as this tweet, or some others we will likely soon see, but this statement is so tone-deaf it's really hard to imagine it came from someone who was a well-respected professor, researcher, and clinician at one of the most prestigious universities anywhere.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1137014785789313024

 

Exactly why i called his attorney a fool. You don't make things worse, you try to contain the damage your client has done and make proper amends if possible

 

Blaming 'cultural differences' seems like a real cop out. Stanford University would not have fired him if it were simply a matter of him being overly affectionate with the people he was working with. They did an investigation first, and must have had adequate proof that he was doing more than hugging a few women.

 

As we learn more about Montoya, I can't help but see parallels with nearby UC Berkeley astronomy professor Geoffrey Marcy just a few years ago. There are differences certainly (Marcy's victims were mostly female postdocs and students). In a culture of silence, some tenured professors have gotten away with such behavior for years or decades.

Here’s How Geoff Marcy's Sexual Harassment Went On For Decades
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/azeenghorayshi/how-harassment-stays-secret

ETA: There are more curious parallels. Like Montoya, Marcy also entered a field (exoplanets) that was considered at the time to be a career deadend. Exoplanets was a field with decades of false "discoveries' that didn't hold up to scrutiny. But with the emergence of better technology, the exoplanet field gained credibility and eventually became a very hot area of research. Like Montoya, Marcy rose to the highest level in his field and helped to validate it.

And just as Marcy's bad behavior was not about astronomy, Montoya's bad behavior is not about ME.

 

This is an assumption.
He is still innocent under the law.
None of us know the details, so let's not speculate.

 

Agreed.

 

This goes without saying.

The next steps are akin to there will be either a meeting or a legal challenge. If it goes to court then there will be determination of guilt or innocence. If instead they work out a deal with the DA then that will be binding.

If there is an informal meeting instead the will present their evidence and Stanford and their lawyers and Montoya and his lawyer will have to make a deal of some sort, if the evidence is poor he might get his job back, if its strong they will negotiate the next moves, whether its to drop any legal challenges, some kind of restitution or voluntary retirement or whatever they come up with.

So all this being the case and the fact that its hard to get rid of a tenured researcher at Stanford the facts to date (plus the non apology apology) suggest this is not a case of no harm no foul. I hope there was no crime committed but we shall see what happens and if he committed crime(s) i hope he sees consequences and his victims get the proper supports.

 

Date: June 7, 2019

Author: Tasneem Nashrulla

URL:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/stanford-professor-fired-sexual-misconduct

A Stanford professor fired over sexual misconduct allegations cited his 'Hispanic Heritage'
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A veteran professor of medicine, Jose Montoya, apologized for not 'appreciating the difference' in social norms between the US and his native Colombia.

Jose Montoya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University who was fired last week over sexual misconduct allegations, attributed his behavior to the difference in 'evolving' social norms in the US and the culture of his native Colombia. Montoya, who began teaching at Stanford in 1990, said that he had treated both men and women in Stanford communities with 'respect, professionalism, and the affection proper of my Hispanic heritage,' according to a statement his lawyer sent to the Stanford Daily after his May 30 termination.

More at link

 

I just happened to see this from Cort about a number of accounts promoting conspiratorial views re Montoya all being from the same IP address:

Who knows what was going on there, but it does illustrate how easy it easy for someone to create a bad impression.

 

Just checked - no users have logged in to S4ME from that IP address.

 

Am I right in thinking S4ME also double checks if multiple users originate from a single IP address?

 

Yes, but only as a part of our efforts to keep spammers out. A shared IP address would, in general, raise our suspicions in that regard but wouldn't necessarily prevent membership, one good reason for shared IP addresses would be if multiple members of the same family wanted to sign up to the forum.

 

If people are curious, I looked up that IP, and it seems to come from Canada, and doesn't seem to be a VPN. So it's some Canadian fellow.