Man sues Bowling Green State University over contract, statements

7/29/2008

A Wood County man who said he created the lean production program at Bowling Green State University has sued the university in U.S. District Court in Toledo, claiming, among other things, that the administration broke its contract with him and unjustifiably initiated an ethics investigation against him.

Dennis Doren filed the 34-page lawsuit Friday against BGSU; its former president, Sidney Ribeau; its former general counsel, Thomas Trimboli, and the dean of the college of technology, Ernest Savage.

The complaint asks for $150,000 in damages.

According to the lawsuit, which was assigned to Judge James Carr, Mr. Doren proposed starting a program at BGSU that would offer education seminars in lean manufacturing or a way of producing goods through the removal of waste.

The program was set up and a payment schedule was created in late 2001, the lawsuit said.

Mr. Doren conducted both internal and external seminars over a two-year period that generated about $417,000 in revenues, the lawsuit said.

It further states that BGSU s contract negotiations had been entirely in bad faith and that Mr. Doren had not been compensated fairly or as the parties had agreed.

The lawsuit accuses the university s administration of making false representations about the business relationship during an Ohio Ethics Commission investigation.

In September, 2007, the commission found Mr. Doren was in violation of state law by receiving compensation other than from the university to perform the duties he was hired to do. The case did not warrant criminal prosecution, the commission ruled.