Overview

• The Oberverwaltungsgericht Lüneburg found that the tenured professor repeatedly sexually harassed female students and staff over several years.
• The court rejected the university’s bid for dismissal and imposed a roughly €2,000 annual salary reduction for five years, closing the appeals process.
• Göttingen has upheld house and work bans imposed in late 2023 and will coordinate with the affected faculty to implement the pay cut.
• Judges factored in the eight-year disciplinary proceedings and mutual appeals as mitigating circumstances for a reduced penalty.
• German civil-service law shields tenured Beamte with strong job protections, illustrating systemic hurdles to removing professors for misconduct.