Thomas Pogge, a 63-year-old philosophy professor at Yale University, recently saw a revival of sexual harassment allegations dating back to 2010, but when asked if he “believes he did something wrong,” by BuzzFeed News, his response was simple: “I would have done things differently.”
According to BuzzFeed, Fernanda Lopez Aguilar “filed a Title IX complaint with the Department of Education” in May, alleging that Yale mishandled the sexual harassment allegations she made against Pogge in 2010, after he inappropriately flirted with her and groped her.
“On one occasion,” according to BuzzFeed, “Aguilar reported that she felt Pogge slide behind her on her chair, press his erection against her, and grab her breast” while on a research trip in Chile.
Aguilar said that when she went to the university and told them about the incident, they failed to investigate, but she was paid $2,000 and forced to sign an illegal, but non-binding, nondisclosure agreement. Afterward, sexual harassment hearings took place, but it was decided that there was not enough evidence to charge Pogge.
Since then, two additional women have come forward with similar stories, according to New York Magazine.
Still, Pogge argues that he did nothing wrong.
“We were just two people in a rental car,” he told BuzzFeed in a recent interview. “If that was wrong, that was wrong. I took her [to Chile]. I didn’t make any moves or anything…It’s a horrible situation to be in.”
Despite the accusations, Pogge went back to teaching bright and early on August 31 without any major disruptions, according to BuzzFeed, and while he said that he doesn’t feel comfortable teaching at Yale anymore, he “sees no other choice.”