A community college district in the state of California has agreed to pay out $2.4 million to a conservative professor as part of a settlement to a lawsuit that was filed after both parties fought back-and-forth in court for years. The suit itself was over freedom of speech, one of the most critical freedoms we enjoy as Americans, a right handed to us by God as a means of reasoning we use to reach the truth. Without it, principles and ideas are never challenged and it’s almost impossible to find what’s true and what’s not.
“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 said in a statement sent 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, who previously worked as a tenured professor at Bakersfield College in southern California, filed a lawsuit in a federal court against Kern Community College District back in 2021. Garrett claimed in the suit that officials with the school where he worked had taken action against him and a colleague due to raising questions about potential misuse of grant money to fund social justice initiatives on campus.
According to Fox News:
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. 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.
The settlement for the suit states that the agreement is not an admission of wrongdoing by either the District or Garrett himself. A spokesman for the KCCD gave a statement to Fox News, saying:
“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.”
The statement ended with the KCCD saying that since it was a “confidential personnel matter, we will not comment further.”
Garrett told Fox News that he was very thankful for the support he got during his court battle and referred to the settlement as a huge 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 added.