A professor's million-dollar win in a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the University of Pennsylvania could hint at a broader easing of obstacles that typically stand in the way of challenges to tenure denial. 

According to Julie Uebler of Uebler Law, who represents plaintiff Cathrine Veikos, the complexity and number of decision-makers involved in universities' tenure assessment process means cases like Veikos' rarely survive summary judgment. But that could be changing.