JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former dean at the University of North Florida is suing the school, saying he was pressured into quitting after officials said he engaged in sexual misconduct on campus.
According to the lawsuit, Mark Tumeo, the university's former dean of its College of Computing, Engineering and Construction, was coerced into resigning by UNF Provost Pamela Challey in October.
The claim was made after Tumeo admitted to engaging in a "consensual sex act" with a man while on campus. According to the UNF Spinnaker, which cited the original police report, Tumeo and the other man admitted to the act and told police they had met on the dating site Adam4Adam.
LAWSUIT: Complaint against University of North Florida
The lawsuit states that following the confrontation with police, Challey called Tumeo and told him he had two minutes to determine whether he would resign from his position as dean and faculty member. When Tumeo asked for additional time to make his decision, Challey said she would permit him "three minutes" to decide.
According to the suit, Tumeo then emailed his resignation, which was "coerced and the product of duress." After submitting his resignation, Tumeo realized he had made a mistake and should not have resigned.
"What he wants to do, much like a criminal defendant, is reset and say it wasn't voluntary," said Jacksonville attorney Randy Reep. "He is suggesting the time limit put on (him), based on perhaps the embarrassment that (he) was about to suffer was not voluntary. Therefore, it should be voided."
Later in the month, the lawsuit states, Tumeo told the school he was forced to resign and asked to return to work. His request was denied.