A California jury awarded USD 8.6 million to Rachel Crary, a former junior specialist technician in UC Irvine's neuroscience lab, after finding that tenured professor John Guzowski subjected her to sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation over approximately 18 months. Crary was 22 when she began working as the sole employee in Guzowski's lab in April 2018. The jury found Guzowski liable on all claims: hostile work environment, quid pro quo harassment, retaliation, gender discrimination, and constructive termination. Both Guzowski and the Regents of the University of California were held responsible. According to the complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court, Guzowski exploited his position as Crary's supervisor and mentor, pressuring her into a personal relationship under the pretense of professional guidance. He suggested her academic future depended on developing a "close friendship," and when she refused his advances, he threatened her career, made false claims that she had mental disorders, and disparaged her to university colleagues. Crary resigned in November 2019, and the jury found this constituted constructive termination. A second female lab worker subsequently filed a harassment and stalking allegation against Guzowski with UCI's Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, describing a nearly identical pattern of conduct. The jury specifically found that UCI's Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity failed to properly investigate Crary's complaint, conducting only a minimal investigation. David Sugden, Crary's lead counsel at Call & Jensen, said: "This case is about courage in the face of systemic failure." Co counsel Geoff Chackel added: "The jury recognized the severe harm inflicted on our client, and that institutions must be held accountable to protect its employees from this type of conduct." Guzowski's faculty profile at UCI is now inactive. The Regents denied wrongdoing during trial, and both Guzowski and the Regents filed notices of appeal in March 2026. The verdict fits a broader pattern at UC Irvine. The Academic Sexual Misconduct Database lists seven cases at the institution. In 2024, prominent biologist Bruce Blumberg received only a three month unpaid suspension after an investigation found he likely engaged in persistent sexual harassment of a graduate student, who subsequently left his lab and the university. In 2018, evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala resigned after four women accused him of harassment; he was later expelled from the National Academy of Sciences. UCI's chancellor issued a reaffirmation of sexual harassment policy in October 2024, but the Crary verdict suggests the institution's investigative mechanisms remain inadequate. Across the UC system, settlements and verdicts in sexual misconduct cases have exceeded USD 700 million in recent years, including a USD 690 million settlement at UCLA over abuse by gynecologist James Heaps.