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 The departure of Sujit Choudhry, 46, who faces a lawsuit by his
accuser, came amid heightened scrutiny of the way in which colleges
and universities across the country have dealt with allegations of
rape and sexual abuse on campuses.
Choudhry has admitted to engaging in unwanted physical contact with
his assistant on multiple occasions, including hugging and kissing
her. He has also admitted to holding her hands to his waist and
touching her shoulders and arms from behind while she sat at her
desk, according to a university statement.
But Choudhry, who will remain on the law school faculty for the time
being, has denied sexually harassing his assistant.
 The assistant, who was not named in an investigative report from the
school's Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination,
also complained that Choudhry directed her to perform personal tasks
on his behalf, such as mailing mortgage documents and finding him a
laundromat.
The move came a day after the school said Choudhry was going on
indefinite leave over the issue. An announcement about an interim
replacement for the position of dean will be made as soon as
possible, the school said.
Choudhry said in a statement he had fully cooperated with the school
in its investigation and denied he engaged in sexual harassment.
"I will immediately begin a leave of absence as Dean of Berkeley
Law, in order to ensure that this lawsuit does not become a
distraction for the Law School, the University, and our community,"
Choudhry said in a statement on Wednesday.
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Choudhry's accuser has been placed on paid leave until she is ready
to return to work, the school said.
The Daily Californian student newspaper reported that the lawsuit
was filed on Tuesday and it alleged Choudhry subjected other women
at the school to unwanted advances as well.
A previous dean at the school, John Dwyer, resigned in 2002
following allegations from a former law school student that he
sexually harassed her. Last October, UC Berkeley astronomy professor
Geoff Marcy also resigned over sexual harassment allegations.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Steve
Gorman, Dan Grebler and Peter Cooney)
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