Ohio‘s Supreme Court will not hear an appeal of a $25 million judgment against Oberlin College in a lawsuit brought by owners of Gibson’s Bakery, who claimed they were libeled and wrongly accused of being racist by the school after a shoplifting incident.
Justices on the state Supreme Court denied the school’s appeal without explanation, according to court records. The decision comes after an appeals court upheld a $25 million judgment for the bakery, which succeeded in its claim it was wrongfully labeled racist.
In November 2016, store owner David Gibson’s son, Allyn, chased and tackled a black student he believed was trying to steal a bottle of wine before two black female students attempted to intervene. The trio of students were later arrested and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.
OBERLIN COLLEGE SEES MILLIONS IN INTEREST CHARGES FOR FALSE RACISM CLAIMS
The arrests prompted protests outside of the bakery, where flyers were passed around accusing the business of being racist. Some flyers were circulated by an Oberlin vice president and dean of students.
A lawsuit was filed by the business in November 2017 against Oberlin College, claiming that the school libeled the bakery and harmed the business.
A representative for Oberlin said it was “disappointed” by the state Supreme Court’s decision in a statement to the Washington Examiner, adding that “the issues raised by this case have been challenging, not only for the parties involved, but for the entire Oberlin community.”
“We remain committed to strengthening the partnership between the College, the City of Oberlin and its residents, and the downtown business community. We will continue in that important work while remaining focused on our core educational mission,” the statement continued.
A representative with Plakas Mannos, the law firm representing the bakery, lauded the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in a statement and told the Washington Examiner the school “presumed that they could bring the Gibsons to their knees.”
“Oberlin tried to frame this case with claims and issues that weren’t on trial. This has never been a case about a student’s First Amendment rights. Individuals’ reputations should never be sacrificed at a false altar of free speech,” the statement read.
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A jury previously awarded the Gibson family $44 million in compensatory and punitive damages in June 2019, but a judge later reduced the award to $25 million.
In its decision Tuesday, the state Supreme Court also refused to hear the Gibsons’ appeal to reinstate the full award in punitive damages.
