Former Chapman law dean alleges removal was driven by sexual orientation

Chapman University's first openly gay law school dean has sued the university, alleging it removed him from leadership because of his sexual orientation and used scholarship-budget concerns as a pretext for discrimination that intensified after he married his husband.

Paul Paton, who led the Dale E. Fowler School of Law from May 2023 until his removal on Oct. 1, 2025, filed a seven-count complaint June 1 in Orange County Superior Court. He alleges breach of written contract, sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, failure to conduct a reasonable investigation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, failure to pay wages and seeks an accounting of the university's finances. Paton v. Chapman University, 30-2026-01575191-CU-WT-CJC, (O.C. Super. Ct., filed June 1, 2026).

The lawsuit contends Chapman removed Paton amid a broader retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and later blamed him for scholarship spending he says was never brought to his attention. Paton alleges university leaders had already decided to remove him and delayed doing so to avoid the appearance of discrimination.

The case is assigned to Orange County Superior Court Judge Theodore R. Howard. Jason M. Kirby of Kirby & Kirby LLP in San Diego represents Paton.

"A dean leads the faculty. Paton does not believe that he was terminated by the university over budget overages and the feedback he has received from his faculty is that they didn't either," Kirby told the Daily Journal on Tuesday. "The university may not think the views of the faculty are material to the truth, but Paton does."

According to the complaint, Interim Provost Michael Ibba informed Paton on Oct. 1 that he was required "to step down from your Administrator appointment as Dean of the Fowler School of Law (FSOL), consistent with the at-will-nature of your Administrative appointment." The letter cited "FSOL's awarding of scholarships well in excess of budget without any conversation with (or approval from) senior leadership."

Paton alleges he played no role in individual admissions or scholarship decisions and awarded fewer scholarships than his predecessors. He claims the law school posted a roughly $2 million surplus in 2023-24 and more than $1 million in 2024-25 while improving admissions metrics and national rankings.

Kirby disputes the university's accounting.

"Nobody from the university ever discussed being over budget on scholarships with Paton. He learned of allegedly being over budget for the first time when he was told he was being removed as dean and never before. He was never provided with the numbers the university is relying upon," Kirby said.

The lawsuit also links Paton's removal to Chapman's handling of DEI programs. It alleges the university placed Provost Norma Bouchard and its vice president for DEI on administrative leave in March 2025 and reorganized the DEI office the following month. According to the complaint, decisionmakers concluded that removing Paton at the same time "would be too obvious and discriminatory per se" and instead waited about six months.

Paton also cites incidents he characterizes as evidence of hostility toward his sexual orientation, including a remark by incoming board chair James Burra during a dinner following Paton's 2024 wedding.

"I thought you guys were just really good friends," Burra is quoted as saying and then not speaking to Paton for the rest of the evening. He also alleges that his husband was repeatedly treated differently from other senior leaders' spouses at university functions. He further alleges Chapman failed to investigate complaints he made in 2025 that he was being targeted and harassed.

The complaint quotes a statement issued after Paton's removal by Chapman General Counsel Rima Vatti.

"After it was discovered that under Dr. Paton's leadership the law school had exceeded its scholarship budget by over $2 million on a budget of approximately $11.6 million, without any approval from Executive leadership, Chapman's President asked Chief Compliance Officer Gail Nishida to identify the root cause of this failure," the statement reads.

Faculty members quoted in the complaint disputed the university's explanation, with one calling it "a load of BS" and another stating, "this is outright homophobia."

Paton remains a tenured professor at the law school. He seeks economic and noneconomic damages, punitive damages, an accounting, interest, penalties and attorney fees. A case management conference is scheduled for Nov. 6.

"Paton had built a reputation for ethics and integrity long before he was hired as the dean at Chapman," Kirby said. "He is fighting back for what he views as a bogus reason for his termination as dean."

The University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.