George Mason University law professor Joshua D. Wright is accused of sexual misconduct and abuse of power by female students

A George Mason University law professor and former Federal Trade Commissioner has been accused of preying on female students, coercing them into sexual relations and abusing his power.

Joshua D. Wright was a respected professor at Antonin Scalia Law School – and was appointed Commissioner of the FTC by former President Barack Obama between 2013 and 2015.

The 46-year-old has now been charged with abusing his power to have sexual contact with his law students – abuse that has reportedly lasted for more than a decade.

Multiple women have come forward to accuse the former professor of sexual misconduct — of making inappropriate comments, asking them on dates and forcing them to have sex in his office on campus.

Wright, who is currently a founding member of Lodestar Law & Economics, has strenuously denied all allegations. His lawyer Lindsay McKasson said: “We look forward to a full justification in court.”

The married father, 46, would stay in the same hotel rooms as his students during “work trips,” and would take away career opportunities if the women tried to stop the sexual relations, prosecutors say.

Among the alleged victims of his inappropriate personal and professional behavior are Elyse Dorsey, Angela Landry and Christa Laser – all of whom are now successful lawyers themselves.

He would also ask exam questions about the benefits of a male employer sexually harassing his female employees, another ex-student Jennie O’Hara alleged.

Angela Landry, who works at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, shared Law360: “I suffered in silence for a very long time. I was ready to accept suffering in silence alone for the rest of my career, but I can’t sit back and let it continue.”

She began law school in 2009 and quickly realized that Wright was crossing the usual teacher-student boundaries, she claims.

In February of her freshman year, Wright kissed her. “Things escalated quickly from there,” Landry claims.

Landry said she felt she couldn’t say no, because of the career prospects Wright had about her: “Those times it really felt like I couldn’t make him mad because when I do, he takes all this away.” mine. Everything that I have worked very hard for and that I want in my career.’

He forced her into sexual activity in his office, she told Law360.

Landry and Wright had an inappropriate relationship all their time in law school — and when he asked her to serve as an attorney-at-law with the FTC in 2015, it started again.

The woman claims she told him she wanted it to remain professional, but “I think he took that as a joke or a challenge.” She claims that when she made him happy sexually, job opportunities came up.

“Once he was done with me, those things stopped coming,” she claims.

When she confronted him in 2020, Wright reportedly told Landry, “He couldn’t even count the number of people he sent inappropriate messages to.”

Elyse Dorsey, who is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, was invited to be Wright’s research assistants while she studied under him in law school in 2010. He then invited her on a work trip to California to meet with clients.

When she arrived, there was one hotel room and one bed booked – and no clients to meet. The pair went wine tasting instead, she claimed.

On the last morning he asked to touch her, and Dorsey said no. This was the beginning of their sexual relationship, she claims.

Dorsey told Law360, “I didn’t say no, but I didn’t really feel like I had the choice to do that at the time.”

Wright — who was her direct manager at the time — later pressured her to have sex in his on-campus office, she alleges.

After law school, Dorsey joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC. A few years later, Wright also joined the law firm as senior counsel, making him its boss again.

The sexual contact continued there, she claims.

It wasn’t until Dorsey confronted Wright and said she believed he was having a sexual relationship with another former GMU student that the promises he made to her for her career ended.

Cleveland State University law school professor Christa Laser also made similar accusations about Wright.

She had professionally contacted Wright to get coffee and possibly be hired at GMU in 2021.

He suggested dinner. They met, talked about the hiring process and he walked her to her car. Laser said, “When we got to my car, he gave me a hug that was long and close, pressed too close to my body for a work meeting.”

The next day she received Wright’s email, in which he said, “I hope this isn’t an exaggeration – but I really enjoyed the dinner and conversation with you and thought you might be interested in joining us next time. a date’?’

Laser didn’t date him – and she wasn’t offered a job.

Jennie O’Hara, who was in Wright’s economics class in 2017, said he would also include highly inappropriate questions in exams.

The lawyer, who now works at Himes, Petrarch & Fester CHTD, said on Twitter: ‘I was in Prof. Wright’s economics class during my 1L year at Mason in 2017-2018.

“On our final exam, he added a question asking us to calculate the utility a male employer gains by sexually harassing his female employees. We have informed the administration. Nothing was done.

“The multiple choice options include things like A. Keep sexually harassing women. B. Stop hiring women.

“Not only has he acted this way for years, but he has openly bragged about it. Mason has known and still gives him a new batch of 1L’s to teach every year.”

She added, “While we are talking about Masonic law creating a dangerous environment for women.

In the fall of 3L, my evidence professor spent two class sessions discussing (and laughing at) the rules that make evidence of a rape victim’s sexual history inadmissible in court.

“He openly mocked rape victims. Many women in the class cried and had to leave the room.

“At one point he pulled out a print article about eye-tracking therapy for rape survivors, laughed at it and called it nonsense.

“A woman in the class finally had enough and tearfully told him that she had undergone that therapy after being raped.

“He argued with her in front of the whole class. Afterwards, the women in the class confronted him and reported the incident to the administration. Nothing has been done.’

It is unclear which professor is involved in O’Hara’s additional allegations.

George Mason University acknowledged the allegations but said, “Recognize, however, that the faculty member is no longer with the law school. He resigned last week.’

Ken Randall, the dean of the law school, said, “I have no tolerance for political violations aimed at protecting our academic community.”

Wright, who received his JD from UCLA in 2002, received his PhD in economics from UCLA in 2003.

He previously graduated with honors from the University of California, San Diego in 1998.

Wright worked for Judge James V. Selna of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He is a member of the California and DC Bar.

He served as executive director of the Global Antitrust Institute’s GMU Law School.

He resigned from his positions at George Mason University earlier this month.

Joshua Wright and his attorney Lindsay McKasson have been contacted for comment.

McKasson told Law360, “All allegations of sexual misconduct are false. These false allegations are made public after millions of dollars have been unsuccessfully demanded behind closed doors. We look forward to a full justification in court.”