Adelphi University pays its full-time female professors less than their male counterparts, according to a sex-discrimination lawsuit filed on Tuesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The complaint, which seeks class-action status, was filed in federal court on behalf of Judith H. Cohen, a professor of education, according to an article in Newsday, the local newspaper for the New York campus. The lawsuit asserts that male professors were paid more than their female colleagues of the same rank in the same department, even though they did similar work.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires employers to provide equal pay to men and women for jobs that are “substantially equal.”

In a written statement, Adelphi denied any wrongdoing in its compensation practices and argued that it shows “no discrimination.” The statement said the lawsuit does not take into consideration other factors that go into setting a salary, including “seniority, market demand, experience, [and] areas of expertise.” —Mary Andom