The legal battle over the death of Chinese-American neuroscientist Jane Wu officially began in a Chicago courtroom this week – a case that has shaken the research community and focused intense scrutiny on Northwestern University’s conduct.
A civil lawsuit filed by Wu’s family in June centres on how the university handled one of its most accomplished professors during the controversial “China Initiative”, alleging her suicide in July 2024 was a direct result of the school’s treatment amid the investigations.
Northwestern’s lawyers on Monday informed Cook County Judge Jonathan Green that the university had already moved to dismiss the case.
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Relatives have accused Northwestern of marginalising the Feinberg School of Medicine molecular biologist – stripping her of funding, shutting down her lab, and ultimately having her forcibly removed from her office and taken to a psychiatric unit. They argued the actions were discriminatory and contributed to her death.
The school previously told NBC News that it “vehemently denies” the allegations. On Monday, Green asked the university to submit a more concise version of its motion within two weeks. A full hearing is scheduled for February.
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Wu was the Dr Charles L. Mix Research Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at Northwestern University before taking her own life at age 60. Born in Hefei, Anhui province, she went to the United States in the 1980s to pursue a PhD in cancer biology at Stanford University.