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Sacramento State Dean On Leave Accused Of Retaliation Against Whistleblower

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento State dean placed on leave is accused of retaliating against a whistleblower who tried to uncover a two-decades-long sexual harassment scandal, CBS13 has learned.

The allegations date back to the early '90s with a professor who allegedly sexually harassed students. When a Sacramento State employee tried to stop it, she says the dean retaliated against her.

Dr. Emir Macari, the dean of engineering, suddenly disappeared last week under unknown circumstances. A Sacramento State spokesperson would only confirm that he was put on a leave of absence.

CBS13 learned he is not wanting one person to succeed.

Career counselor Cici Mattiuzzi filed a federal lawsuit against Macari and Sacramento State in 2011, alleging retaliation, for trying to uncover an engineering professor who allegedly hit on male students.

Some of the engineering students remember the rumors about Professor Miroslav Markovic, who is no longer at Sacramento State.

Mattiuzzi claims in her lawsuit that a student told her in 2008 that Markovic invited him to his home several times to work on his car.

Another student allegedly told Mattiuzzi that the professor had offered to buy him a laptop and take him to Hawaii for the summer.

The lawsuit also claims Markovic threatened to shoot employees, allegedly telling a pregnant woman, "I'm going to get a gun and shoot you."

Those allegations stem back more than 20 years to when Markovic is accused of stalking a student in 1991.

Markovic left Sacramento State in 2009 after the counselor sued him and the university.

But Mattiuzzi says instead of things getting better, Macari created a hostile work environment.

But, for reasons the university won't explain, the dean is gone, at least for now.

Mattiuzzi claims the dean blamed her for the troubled relationship between Sacramento State staff and the college of engineering.

The federal lawsuit is still ongoing, but Macari is no longer part of it after filing for bankruptcy.

 

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