Drawing on restorative and organizational justice literature, the recommended response involves four steps:
The question “Alina Lopez, what do we do?” is not merely about one person. It is a stress test of an institution’s values. The correct answer is neither automatic pardon nor reflexive punishment. Rather, it is a disciplined process that affirms the rule, respects relationships, and repairs the system. Institutions that master this response turn a potential scandal into a case study in mature, principled leadership. alina lopez what do we do?
Retain Lopez with a warning. Failure mode: Erosion of policy; future violators cite Lopez as precedent; legal liability for the institution; corruption of organizational culture (“results justify anything”). future violators cite Lopez as precedent