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Ohio University is sued in federal court over sexual harassment allegations
By: David Forster
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — A lawsuit filed in federal court alleges Ohio University was slow in investigating and taking action in response to a sexual harassment report by an employee.
The lawsuit was filed by Caitlin Mohler, an employee at WOUB. She alleges that beginning in 2023 she faced unwelcome sexual advances from WOUB’s former general manager, Mark Brewer.
Mohler alleges these included several instances of touching and kissing her without permission and making inappropriate comments about her body.
Mohler’s direct supervisor ended up filing a report with the university’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance on June 2, 2025. This came two weeks after a PBS conference at an Atlanta hotel attended by Mohler, Brewer and other WOUB employees.
The lawsuit alleges that at one point during the conference, Brewer “repeatedly touched (Mohler’s) chest and commented on how sunburnt she was, even after she asked him to stop.”
Brewer also made inappropriate comments about Mohler during the conference and sent her angry texts after learning she was going out to dinner with a man, according to the lawsuit.
Mohler shared these alleged incidents with her supervisor, who then filed the report. Mohler did not file a complaint herself for fear of retaliation, according to the lawsuit.
Someone from the Office of Civil Rights Compliance contacted Mohler several times after the report was filed to check on her welfare. However, no formal investigation was conducted and no one from the office contacted Brewer, according to the lawsuit.
The situation at work grew worse and culminated on Sept. 24, 2025, when Brewer allegedly insisted on meeting with Mohler alone in her office even though she told him she wanted someone else to be present because she was uncomfortable being alone with him, the lawsuit alleges.
After that meeting, Mohler called the Ohio University Police Department, which sent two officers to her office to take a report, according to the lawsuit. Officers did not talk to Brewer or anyone else, the lawsuit alleges.
The same day, Mohler also filed a formal complaint of sexual harassment against Brewer with the Office of Civil Rights Compliance. This led to an investigation and Brewer’s resignation after the second day of a scheduled three-day disciplinary hearing in March.
The lawsuit alleges the university should have done a more thorough investigation after the report filed in June, and that because this did not happen, Mohler “was subjected to additional sexual harassment, retaliation and had to endure a sexually hostile work environment.”
The university’s actions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual discrimination, the lawsuit alleges.
WOUB reached out to Ohio University for comment but did not receive a response before this story was published. It is the university’s policy not to comment on pending litigation.
WOUB also reached out to Brewer, who said he was not aware of the lawsuit.
Disclosure: Under WOUB’s protocol for reporting on itself, no executives reviewed this story before it was posted.