CARBONDALE - A St. Clair County woman, denied readmission to the Southern Illinois University School of Law last summer because she did not attain a high enough grade point average, is suing the university.

Lisa Dawn Rittenhouse, who is represented by Carbondale attorney Darrell Dunham, argues in her petition filed Nov. 18 in a federal court at Benton, that she was the victim of reverse discrimination and denied opportunity within parameters of the Americans with Disabilities Act to continue her pursuit of a law degree at SIUC.

She is requesting more than $1.5 million damages and is demanding a jury trial.

"The university declines to comment on the case and we'll see what happens in court," said SIUC spokesman Rod Sievers.

SIU's board of trustees, the law school and its dean, Peter C. Alexander, are named as defendants in the suit.

Rittenhouse, who was diagnosed and treated for Attention Span Deficit Disorder (ADHD) with hyperactivity and dyslexia since she was 5 and with Type II bipolar disorder since she was 13, had attained a combined grade point average of 1.948 after two semesters. According to law school rules, only students who have attained at least a 1.95 grade point average are given the opportunity to continue, according to the suit.

During the course of filing petitions for readmission, Rittenhouse was one of six students applying for readmission. She was the only one handicapped and had the highest grade point average among the six. She is white. Four students were racial minorities, of whom two did not have a sufficient grade point average to allow them to petition for readmission, according to the suit.

Of the six who applied for readmission, only Rittenhouse was denied, according to the suit.

The petition contains memorandum and letters from Rittenhouse and Alexander during the course of her readmission procedure.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com / 351-5076@thesouthern.com / 351-5076