An Oregon judge has hit pause on Oregon Health & Science University's effort to shake up a prominent cardiologist's research program while a bitter pay dispute crawls toward trial. For now, the university is barred from trimming support for Dr. Sanjiv Kaul's lab or tinkering further with his paycheck while the court weighs whether OHSU crossed the line into retaliation.
Judge Puts OHSU Clampdown On Ice
In an order issued this week, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Souede found that Kaul had shown a "sufficient likelihood of success" on his retaliation claim and temporarily blocked OHSU from rolling out its proposed cuts while the case heads toward a February 2027 trial, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. The ruling keeps Kaul's lab and its existing funding structure in place for the time being as the lawsuit moves forward.
Veteran Cardiologist, Big Money And A Big Pay Cut
Kaul, who was recruited to OHSU from the University of Virginia in 2005, founded the Kaul Laboratory and served as the first director of the Knight Cardiovascular Institute. His complaint says that work helped bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in philanthropic and research funding. He filed suit in December 2024 after OHSU slashed his salary by about 25 percent, and he is seeking more than $2.1 million in damages, as reported by Willamette Week.
Retaliation Claims And Donor Dollars In The Crosshairs
According to the lawsuit, things escalated after Kaul went to court. The complaint alleges OHSU shrank his lab space and other backing, rerouted donor funds that had long supported his research, and later floated another pay cut of nearly $98,000. Kaul contends those moves were meant to punish him for suing. Testimony referenced in court filings states that an OHSU attorney drafted a January 2026 letter laying out the proposed changes, details that were described by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
The Laws On Pay Cuts And Payback
Kaul's lawsuit leans on Oregon's Equal Pay Act and the state's retaliation protections. The Equal Pay Act, codified at ORS 652.220, bars discriminatory wage reductions, while Oregon's whistleblower and retaliation statute, ORS 659A.199, prohibits employers from demoting workers or cutting their pay in response to protected complaints. Both laws allow courts to order injunctions, back pay and other monetary relief.
What Comes Next
Judge Souede will decide whether to leave the current order in place as the case marches toward its February 2027 trial date. If the injunction stands, OHSU will be blocked from making the contested changes to Kaul's lab and funding until the court rules on his claims. If it is lifted, the university can move ahead with its plans while the legal fight plays out in the background.
The lawsuit and the court's early intervention shine a spotlight on how a public research powerhouse manages the tension between donor-backed programs, federal grants and personnel decisions. However it ends, the case is poised to influence how OHSU and other institutions navigate relationships with marquee researchers and the money that follows them.
