Geoff’s wife,Susan Kegley, here. One thing that few people know is that there was one woman in particular (I’ll call her Joan) who was on a crusade to find “evidence” to convict Geoff. Starting in 2010, she interviewed nearly every woman who had ever been in the Berkeley astronomy department since Geoff started there, broaching the topic in the interview by suggesting that Geoff had been accused of sexual harassment and had they ever had any problems with him. Well, can you imagine how that would change people’s view of him? Joan even warned a 1st year female grad student to stay away from Geoff, calling him a “serial sexual harasser”. Every move, even going out for coffee with someone, could be interpreted as “sexual harassment,” when viewed through this lens.

In fact, Joan herself wrote about an interaction she had with Geoff in the coffee line at a conference. Geoff introduced himself and complimented her on her work for women in astronomy. She said he had launched a “charm offensive”. That made her angry. So that’s the type of person who dedicated her life to getting Geoff canceled, because he was nice to people.

Joan even had the nerve to tell the women she interviewed that she was working with the UCB Title IX officer on “the case.” Buried deep in the public release of the case documents is an email from the Title IX officer back to Joan reprimanding her for misrepresenting herself as associated with the UCB Title IX office.

And then there was John Johnson (Harvard University), a former grad student of Geoff’s. He participated in the witch hunt too. I have no proof, but I feel fairly certain that the "groping" incident was commissioned by Johnson. The PRA documents show that he is the one who relayed that incident to the Title IX office (see p. 95), not the supposed “victim”. But John didn't really have gender equity as his highest concern. It was all about data rights. When Johnson left CalTech for Harvard, he wanted to take the many years of Geoff's team's data with him to Harvard. Geoff said no, to protect his grad students who needed the data for their own work. Since that time, Johnson has been on the warpath. The sexual harassment issue was just a way to strike back.

As a woman scientist myself, I am appalled by these women’s approach to solving the “problem” of harassment: Make yourself a poor, helpless victim. Call on someone else to protect you. Excuse me, but fuck that!

Be strong! Protect yourself by communicating what you want or don’t want. That’s what the early feminists won. As others have said here in the comments here, there WILL be retribution. And it will be richly deserved.

Geoff and I are happy to be out of academia now. What a torture chamber, for all involved. Thank you Janice for your clear writing and thinking.