Lawsuit accusing marine science researcher of sexual harassment has been dropped

Pictured above: David Hastings, who taught at Eckerd College for 20 years, got an unpaid courtesy appointment at USF’s College of Marine Science in June 2019. The appointment was suspended after a former student accused him of sexual harassment in a discrimination lawsuit against Eckerd.

Courtesy of Eckerd College


By Emily Wunderlich

A discrimination lawsuit against Eckerd College that accused a well-known marine science researcher of sexual harassment has been dropped.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court in December, was brought by a former student who accused David Hastings of “servere and pervasive sexual harassment” while she was under his supervision as a research assistant between May and June 2018. 

The student dropped her case on March 18 “with prejudice.” Under Florida law, that means she cannot bring the claim back to court. 

The student’s attorney — Bradley Rothman of the Naples-based Weldon and Rhothman law firm — did not respond to multiple emails or a phone call from The Crow’s Nest seeking comment. 

According to court records, Eckerd College did not file any motions in response to the lawsuit. The school’s spokesperson, Robbyn Hopewell, did not respond to multiple emails or a phone call from The Crow’s Nest seeking comment.

The lawsuit alleged that Hastings “groomed” the student for sexual exploitation, and that at one point, the student arrived at Hastings’ office at a pre-arranged meeting time to find him masturbating.

The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission ultimately ruled against the student, although an investigator hired by the college concluded that Hastings had sexually exploited her.

Hastings was allowed to “retire with honor” from Eckerd College and maintain an office there, and on June 2, 2019, he was granted an unpaid courtesy appointment at USF’s College of Marine Science.

The appointment was set to expire on Aug. 6, 2022, but was suspended after the university was “made aware” of the allegations following a story published in the Tampa Bay Times on Jan. 3. 

In September, Hastings helped lead a widely publicized collaborative research study between USF and Eckerd College that discovered that roughly 4 billion particles of microplastics are clogging the waters of Tampa Bay.

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