Within months, he said, Brown reprimanded him on the basis of the 1991 complaint, which he said he didn't know about until 1993.
"The university has no comment on the case itself, but an allegation like that was not a factor," Nickel said.
Nickel said Brown's decision not to renew Kingsbury's contract was voted on by the music department based on an evaluation of his performance as a professor.
A legal spokesperson for the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights refused to comment on the current status of the complaint.
She said the commission has the authority to award back pay, attorney's fees and damages for pain and suffering to an employee. The commission can also force an employer to reinstate a terminated employee, she said.
Kingsbury said he is currently unemployed and spending his time preparing for the upcoming hearing