California
Conservative California professor reaches multimillion-dollar settlement after free speech lawsuit
A California community college district agreed to pay $2.4 million to a conservative professor in a recent settlement agreement after years of legal battles between the two parties.
“After five years of administrative misconduct, a decisive courtroom display exonerated me of all allegations and exposed that Kern Community College District engaged in flagrant retaliation for my questioning of partisan policies and wasteful expenditures,” Matthew Garrett reacted in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Facing an imminent ruling in my favor and the prospect of paying millions of dollars in damages, KCCD had only one viable option: settlement.”
Garrett, previously a tenured history professor at Bakersfield College in southern California, filed a federal lawsuit against the Kern Community College District (KCCD) in 2021. In the lawsuit, Garrett claimed school officials retaliated against him and a colleague for questioning if grant money was being improperly used to fund social justice initiatives on campus.
Garrett also claimed that he and other faculty members of a free speech coalition on campus were targeted with false allegations after they asked questions during a campus diversity meeting in October of 2022.
PROFESSOR WHO WAS FIRED AFTER REPORTING ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS WINS $1M IN SETTLEMENT WITH UNIVERSITY
Bakersfield College history professor Matthew Garrett recently reached a settlement agreement with the district over his suspension. (YouTube/The Bakersfield Californian)
The district Board of Trustees voted to fire him in April of 2023, alleging he had engaged in multiple instances of “immoral and unprofessional conduct,” which Garrett adamantly denied.
The professor contested his suspension in court. The two parties agreed to a settlement last month to end all disputes and claims surrounding Garrett’s employment after Garrett’s lawyers argued his case before an administrative law judge in May.
The district pledged to deliver a $2.4-million payment to Garrett as part of the settlement agreement that was obtained by Fox News Digital. The agreement covers “alleged general and emotional distress damages,” as well as attorney fees. The total payment includes a one-time payment of $154,520.00 for back wages and medical benefits since his dismissal.
Under the settlement, Garrett agreed to resign from his position in the district. Administrators also agreed to withdraw its reports and accusations of unprofessional conduct from Garrett’s record and seal documents related to punitive action it took against him from his personnel file.
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The settlement agreement isn’t an admission of wrongdoing for either party, it says. (Getty Images )
The settlement says the agreement isn’t “an admission of any wrongdoing or liability by either the District or Garrett.”
A district spokesman for KCCD provided the following statement to Fox News Digital.
“The Kern Community College District (KCCD) has settled all issues with Matthew Garrett. Matthew Garrett has voluntarily resigned from his employment and all litigation on this matter has been resolved. KCCD believes the settlement is in the best interest of the District and allows us to focus on the future and continue to deliver quality higher education for students of Kern County without any further legal distractions. To be clear, the dispute with Matthew Garrett was a disciplinary matter due to his disruptive actions on campus, none of which concerned freedom of speech. Kern Community College District unequivocally supports the right for our students and faculty to share their views and opinions on campus and elsewhere. As a District, we create an environment that provides our diverse students and communities with the opportunity to professionally engage with new ideas.”
“As this is a confidential personnel matter, we will not comment further.”
Garrett said he was grateful for the support he’s received and declared the settlement a victory.
“I am grateful to the many who stood by my side during this difficult time and invite them to join in our triumph. To my colleagues at Bakersfield College and nationwide, I say: Keep the faith; we are winning the battle, one case at a time,” his statement continued.
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CORTE MADERA, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain and high tides believed to be the most severe in two decades caused flooding in parts of Northern California on Saturday, prompting road closures and rescues of residents trapped in their cars.
Roadways through a 15-mile (24-kilometer) stretch from the Sausalito area to San Rafael were flooded after a downpour coincided with record-breaking “ King Tides,” Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Dobbins said.
No injuries were reported but authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in floodwater as high as three and four feet (1.1 and 1.2 meters), he said.
“There is a lot of water in the roadways,” Dobbins said, adding the tides were reportedly the highest in more than two decades. “Along with heavy rains, it just created the perfect storm for flooding on the streets.”
Authorities in the communities near San Francisco asked residents to stay home wherever possible until waters recede. Some residents kayaked along what normally would be city streets. Others waded out in water that passed their knees.
A flood warning was in place for the San Francisco area until 2 p.m. Saturday and an advisory until 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in San Francisco.
King Tides occur when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment and the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull.
10:06 PM: Police are arriving at the scene of a two-vehicle crash reported at California/Dakota, with at least two people hurt.
11:06 PM: Police have just reopened the street. We went to the scene after a report that one vehicle had ended up on the lawn of a church – First Lutheran Church of West Seattle (WSB sponsor) – is on the southwest corner – but all we could see was one vehicle on the sidewalk. We’re following up with SFD regarding the people who were hurt.
Last week’s rain won’t be the end of Southern California’s wild weather as strong wind gusts are forecast through the area until Tuesday.
Gusts of up to 65 mph are expected in mountains and valleys throughout the region, with the National Weather Service warning that power outages were possible and that residents should keep an eye out for downed trees and power lines.
“Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” according to an alert issued by the National Weather Service.
The recent storms that drenched Southern California and soaked the soil could also “increase the likelihood of damage” caused by downed trees and power lines, the agency noted.
The National Weather Service issued the advisory Sunday, warning that the western Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains and the Interstate 5 and Highway 14 corridors could see strong winds starting Sunday evening, lasting until Monday afternoon.
Winds between 20 to 30 mph are expected in those areas until Sunday evening. Wind speeds are then predicted to pick up until Monday afternoon, with northeast winds of up to 40 mph and gusts of up to 65 mph.
A similar alert for strong gusts was issued by the weather service for the San Bernardino and Riverside County mountain and valley regions, as well as the Santa Ana Mountains, where strong winds could linger until Tuesday afternoon.
Northeast winds with speeds of up to 30 mph are expected to hit the area starting this evening, with gusts of up to 60 mph.
The high wind alerts come after the region was drenched for days, causing debris flows that washed through homes in Wrightwood. At least three people were killed in storm-related deaths, including a man in San Diego who was struck by a falling tree. In Boyle Heights, a rare tornado touched down on Christmas morning.
More rain is expected this week, including the possibility of rain on New Year’s Day.
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