Taylor says that employment is a very big source of the risk that the University faces.

To mitigate this risk as much as possible, OGC provides significant training to various units of the University to avoid legal problems.

Searching the Files

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While employment issues may be a major source of litigation, a bulk of the lawsuits since 1998 defy any quick summary.

Two cases involve unsatisfied doctoral candidates, one at the Graduate School of Education and one at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Both suits claim that the schools unfairly dismissed the students from their graduate programs and thus adversely affected their lives. One of them is still pending.

Another case sought $500,000 against the University, claiming the police unfairly banned a woman from entering Harvard buildings after she caused disruptions.

Several other cases were filed against Harvard in its capacity as the owner and landlord of Cambridge property. In one an individual fell on a sidewalk outside of a Harvard-owned building in 1996 during a winter storm.

Finally, Harvard was one of many defendants in a multi-billion dollar suit by a woman who claimed to have been "illegally implanted" by the federal government with a devise known as a "CATO," that caused great harm. Other defendants in the suit included former President George Bush, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and the Pentagon.