Harvard presents itself as a tolerant and welcoming institution.

For the most part, evidence seems to bear this assertion out: student retention rates are the highest in the nation, almost all undergraduates live on campus, admissions yield rates continue to climb and giving by alumni is extremely generous.

But there are those who have their quibbles. So like any large institution, particularly one with so much influence in just about every powerful area of government and academic life, Harvard faces its share of lawsuits.

A review of pending and recently adjudicated litigation against Harvard shows that some plaintiffs are taking advantage of the Harvard name; others bring wholly unjustified--and often unusual--claims before the court. The vast majority of Harvard cases are stopped before trial by Harvard's legal machine--many are settled out of court.

Most start as photocopied sheets, turned in to the clerk's office at the Middlesex County Courthouse on Thorndike Street. A select few make it to the United States District Court in South Boston.

Despite the publicity that these cases may garner, members of Harvard's Office of the General Counsel (OGC) say that overall these suits take up little of the lawyers' time.

The Lonely Few

Over the last two-and-a-half years, Harvard has faced 20 lawsuits.