Posted on 01/21/2003 9:03:16 PM PST by calif_reaganite
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 21, 2003
Contact: Christopher Mays 530-757-2371
Fired Conservative Columnist Sues Campus Newspaper
Davis — Fired conservative columnist Igor Birman filed a small claims case today with the Yolo County Superior Court against his former employer, The California Aggie and its editor-in-chief, Fitzgerald Vo, alleging breach of contract and wrongful termination.
Birman was dismissed from his position as the sole conservative columnist at the Aggie on January 1, 2003, by Fitzgerald Vo, despite a contract lasting until the end of June 2003. In his termination notice, Vo cited Birman’s “tendency to enrage members of the opposing causes” as the reason for the dismissal.
Birman's column, The Right Stuff, provided the campus community with conservative commentary, expressing strong support for the war on terrorism and invoking a lively debate on issues ranging from the Israeli-Palestinian crisis to reparations for slavery.
“When my family and I fled the former Soviet Union a decade ago, we left behind a nation where laws were systematically ignored and persecution ruled. In silencing the sole voice of dissent at the Aggie, Mr. Vo has committed the same kind of assault against the freedom of thought that my family would have faced in the USSR for speaking out against communism,” Birman said, recounting his experience as an immigrant. “Mr. Vo has fired me illegally, and in this society, whose very essence is based on the rule of law, such grotesque disregard for the law should not stand,” he added.
Birman is seeking damages in the amount that he would have received had his contract been allowed to run its course, in addition to court costs and miscellaneous legal fees. He said, however, that his intentions do not include personal monetary gain. “If I am fortunate enough to win this case, I will donate whatever amount I receive to the Young Conservatives Foundation, in order to strengthen the conservative movement both at UC Davis and across California, so that conservative thought is given an opportunity to grow in this climate of general hostility,” he said.
The case is Birman vs. The California Aggie, et al., C.V.CL 0353. Birman may be reached at 530-754-3339. The termination notice and a copy of his contract will be provided upon request.
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