Posted on 04/01/2022 8:10:45 AM PDT by grundle
A record $31 million award to a mom and pop bakery that accused a liberal Ohio college of ruining its business with false accusations of racism has been upheld by a state appeals court.
Gibson's Bakery, a 135-year-old family business near the campus of Oberlin College, was initially awarded more than $40 million in punitive and compensatory damages in the aftermath of a 2016 incident in which the owner's son confronted three black Oberlin students who were stealing wine from the store. Although the suspects were arrested and later admitted they were shoplifting, the episode touched off school-sanctioned protests and accusations of racism that crippled the store's business.
"At trial, it was absolutely clear to the jury (as reflected by the verdict) that there was not a shred of truth in the vicious statements about the Gibsons and that the College caused the devastating harm," the law firm representing the Gibson family said after winning the case. "The truth prevailed."
The initial award by Lorain County Judge John Miraldi in 2019 was later reduced to $25 million plus $6 million in legal fees. In the latest development, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit unanimously upheld the award.
Despite the students' guilt, Oberlin College and key officials, including its vice president and dean of students, accused the bakery of racial profiling, claiming that owner David Gibson and other employees assaulted the students and had a history of racism. At trial, the jury heard evidence that college officials distributed flyers containing the false accusations and encouraged students to boycott and protest the store.
The award is the largest defamation verdict in Ohio history.
Oberlin, a small liberal arts college in northern Ohio, has long been known for left-wing politics. Alumni include actress Lena Dunham, former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, liberal activist Nan Aron, Chicago Seven member Jerry Rubin, former Amnesty International head William Schulz, and a host of notable journalists. But one alumna, conservative pundit Michelle Malkin, was not sorry to see her alma mater punished.
"For decades, grievance-mongering Oberlin elites have bullied and defamed innocent white people without consequences in their multicultural Ohio enclave," Malkin wrote in a 2019 Daily Signal column titled "I’m an Oberlin Graduate. They Had It Coming." "False racial allegations and toxic identity politics are the bread and butter of Oberlin campus life."
Of course that would require a damn near 100% turnover of the faculty and student body. But what's the downside?
They said they will continue to fight this thing.
I’d love to see a bunch of sheriff’s deputies come in an seize college assets and hold an auction. Maybe sell a couple of the buildings and some of the grounds
“a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit unanimously upheld the award.”
Doesn’t sound right. Ohio is not within the 9th Circuit jurisdiction.
https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/information/circuit-map/
Or maybe garnish the college payroll accounts leaving the leftist moron professors short a paycheck or two
Ohio requires the loser of a tort claim to pay the winner’s fees.
Remember when we were winning everyday?
This reminds me of that.
I looked on their website and they had t-shirts for $32 and tote bags for $22. They probably do good business even with those prices.
Perhaps the problem with government spending is we elect too many lawyers to Congress.
WINNING!!! Big Time!
All well and good, but until that moment when a plaintiff’s suit goes in their favor, they are on the hook for fees on par with a heart transplant.
My original point was that if someone has done you wrong, I mean really, really wrong, the tendency is to launch a lawsuit or at least want to. That’s anyone’s right, but it’s crazy expensive to do so. And NO court case is a certainty as to outcome.
I watched that stupid Sunday morning show on See BS last weekend. They were doing a bit about fake people (trans) and it was at Oberlin university. The fake guy was an Aussie, and she was on the swim team. Not much chance of her breaking any mens team records. But noticeable was a member of the dive team was a shorty who should have been in the cannonball category of “diving”!
That’s one screwed up institution of higher learning!!!
We need lots more of these victories before people starting acting sane again.
I’d like to see Oberlin fold, then open a trade school or something useful like that on the premises.
We need builders, not wreckers.
I think it is contingency fee basis. Not a lawyer, but these things usually get settled before trial, before appeals, etc., but Oberlin does not want to admit it did anything wrong.
Oberlin has a $1 billion endowment, so it is not going out of business soon. The endowment is mostly from people contributing to buy their kids in. They have a 35% acceptance rate etc., competitive but not top level. Not that I would recommend anyone going there.
EXTREMELY bad reporting: it was the Ohio 9th District Court of Appeals in Akron that upheld the judgement, NOT the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which, btw, does NOT include the state of Ohio in its circuit ...
better article:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/appeals-court-upholds-25m-judgment-oberlin-college-83811661
So, how'd they like being accused of racism, being boycotted and nearly destroyed?
Wonder if they'll stop their left wing politics nonsense now? Inquiring minds 'n all that ...
OOps ... nevermind.
I read some detailed articles about this mess a couple of years ago. The key Oberlin faculty members and administrators involved in this insanity all were angry, loud-mouthed, nasty, thirty-ish, domineering Karen type women. A college run by the worst of the worst.
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