Researcher Accused of Espionage Files Second Lawsuit

A Chinese American chemical engineer who was accused of espionage has filed a second lawsuit against his former employer, the University of Kansas, alleging the university retaliated against him following his first lawsuit, The Kansas Reflector reported. 

Feng “Franklin” Tao was indicted in 2019 as part of President Donald Trump’s China Initiative and in 2022 found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements, but he was never charged with espionage. Tao appealed and was acquitted of all charges in 2024. 

He subsequently filed a lawsuit against the University of Kansas in January 2025, accusing officials of discrimination and demanding reinstatement to his tenured faculty position. That case is ongoing, but Tao filed a second lawsuit against the university in July. He alleges that university officials retaliated against him by denying him full reinstatement and by appointing nontenured faculty to the faculty rights board examining his case—which university policy states must be made up of tenured faculty, according to the complaint. 

Tao is seeking back pay and damages for emotional and reputational harm. He is not asking for reinstatement; in April, he accepted a nontenured faculty position at the University of Arizona, beginning this fall, the complaint states. 

Spokespeople for the University of Kansas did not respond to Inside Higher Ed’s request for comment.