The long and vengeful campaign of Oberlin College against a small family-owned grocery has come to an end at the cost of a breathtaking $36 million for defamation. The Ohio Supreme Court had rejected what should be Oberlin College’s final appeal of a verdict in favor of Gibson’s Bakery. The bakery has been the target of an unrelenting attack by the school after it had the temerity to fight a false charge of racism in a shoplifting case involving Oberlin students who later pleaded guilty to criminal charges. Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar and the Board burned through millions in litigation costs above the damages rather than admit that the college was wrong in the targeting of this grocery. That money could have been used for scholarships and other worthy purposes. Instead, Amber and the Board will simply ask alumni to foot the bill for a legal effort that seems to become little more than a revenge fetish.
Starting in 2017, I have written a long line of columns on the lawsuit against Oberlin College in this case where the college not only joined the mob but helped lead the mob against Gibson’s Bakery. Even after a massive award by the jury, Ambar continued to refuse to apologize for the shameful and costly conduct of her administration. (Ambar became president in 2017 shortly after the incident).
This controversy began with a shoplifting case. In 2016, an African American student named Jonathan Aladin was caught trying to steal a bottle of wine from Gibson’s Bakery, which was established in 1885 and has been closely tied to the college for over a century. When the grandson of the owner tried to stop Aladin, a fight ensued and police were called. Aladin and two other students, Cecilia Whettstone and Endia Lawrence, were arrested. Students, professors, and administrators held protests, charging that the bakery was racist and profiled the three students.
Oberlin maintained in court filings that the son and grandson of the owners of Gibson’s Bakery “violently and unreasonably attacked” an unarmed student, but that is not how the police viewed it. Aladin was charged with robbery, which is a second degree felony, and Whettstone and Lawrence were charged with first degree misdemeanor assault. Police rejected claims of a racial motive and noted that, over a period of five years, 40 adults were arrested for shoplifting at Gibson’s Bakery, but only six were African American. It also is not how the court viewed it. When prosecutors cut a plea deal to reduce the charge to attempted theft, a local judge refused. He said the plea deal appeared to be the result of a permanent “economic sanction”by the college in which the victim had little choice but to relent. Ultimately, all three students pleaded guilty.
The merits of the case did not seem to bother Oberlin officials or student protesters. Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo reportedly joined the massive protests and even handed out a flier denouncing the bakery as a racist business. When some people contacted Oberlin to object that the students admitted guilt, special assistant to the president for community and government relations Tita Reed wrote that it did not change a “damn thing” for her. Reed also reportedly participated in the campus protests.
Other faculty members encouraged students who denounced the bakery. The chairman of Africana studies posted, “Very proud of our students!” Oberlin barred purchases from the bakery, pending its investigation into whether this was “a pattern and not an isolated incident.” Raimondo also pressured Bon Appetit, a major contractor with the college, to cease business with the bakery. Reed even suggested that “once charges are dropped, orders will resume” and added that she was “baffled by their combined audacity and arrogance to assume the position of victim.”
The jury in June 2019 awarded the Gibsons $44 million in compensatory and punitive damages. A judge later reduced the award to $25 million. That was upheld and the appellate court also upheld an award of $6.2 million payment in attorney fees. Now interest has pushed the reduced award back up to roughly $36 million but you then have to add the attorney fees and the college’s own towering legal costs. That is likely to put the total back to near the original $44 million award.
It takes considerable work to burn over $40 million on such a case. Yet, time and again President Ambar and the college threw more money into a losing hand like a bad gambler at Vegas while refusing to apologize for the college’s reprehensible record in the case.
As the grocery recently warned that it might have to shutdown due to the lack of funds and drain of litigation, the college fought to pay the damages.
The Ohio Supreme Court finally ended this farce by refusing to hear a new appeal on jurisdictional grounds. It voted 4-3 to end further litigation.
In a statement, Oberlin College expressed disappointment but not an apology:
“Oberlin is disappointed that the Ohio Supreme Court has chosen not to hear our appeal of the Gibson’s Bakery judgment against the college. 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.”
While the college could always try a federal appeal, it would just add more litigation costs while little hope for a change in the case or the verdict beyond further accruing interest.
The handling of this matter by Oberlin is nothing short of reprehensible in not only the treatment of this grocery (which was founded in the 1800s) but in the wasting of the assets and reputation of the college. Yet, not a single official appears to have been disciplined for this costly campaign. With tuition at $30,000 a year, the ultimate cost of this litigation would cover free tuition for a year for half of the college. (The total enrollment is only 2,600 students).
Yet, over $40 million somehow became little more than the price of vanity of a college to refuse to admit its original error and to apologize for its conduct. It was a complete failure of leadership by the president, the board, and the college. No one seemed willing to take the responsibility to say “enough” and stop the burning of added costs year after year. So the college continued to gush money as it racked up losses in court.
They have frittered away the assets and reputation of a school with a wonderful history and stellar academic reputation . . . all to pursue a small grocery like Captain Ahab and his whale. Indeed, the final filing should just quote Melville to capture the blind rage needed to sustain this ill-conceived effort: “From hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”
time to cut all federal aid to colleges! Many have become Fascist training entities.
This follows the pattern of woke activists, specially black activists, defending the criminal element that is only a tiny part of the black population. Meanwhile, the majority law-abiding black middle class gets dragged through the mud because of the negative optics of this woke obsession. Hopefully, Oberlin will lose students over the years, because why would any parent want to pay for the bad decisions of an administration that’s so entrapped in anti-white race hatred.
Oberlin should be compelled to pay IRA style interest rates and late payments for their refusal to pay the damages. As an ardent leftist organization, they despise capitalism until it effects their own bottom line. They are despicable hypocrites and deserve to be defunded. I laugh when I think I actually considered going there some 40 years ago. Other then a very good conservatory which now graduates mostly unemployable musicians (sadly), it is a stinking rathole of Marxist indoctrinators.
Dang.
$36m or $44m spent to deny they were wrong and issue an apology?
I think this is a perfect example of the lack of critical thinking by the left.
And their willingness to burn everything down then admit they are wrong.
If the College was told to settle by their insurer and the college refused then they may have to pay the difference between what a real settlement figure would have been and the final amount. The earlier disallowed settlement may cloud the issue. Oglethorpe used to be a good college. Unsure as to it’s status now.
If they can’t decide what their purpose is, maybe it’s time to close it down.
typo: Last paragraph should be Melville not Merville.
Brings back a little hope for the justice system.
Trustees failed in their job.
Oberlin squandered money, dissipated its reputation, and lost focus.
Where was the oversight?
When the college failed in their refusal to admit their guilt and do what was right they went for the old tired worn out defense. They yelled RACIST and thought everyone who fall down and yell “I’m sorry.
Glad Oberlin lost. They deserved to lose. My fear is that the payment will go the way of the O.J payment to the Brown family. Miniscule at best.
Meredith left Oberlin College (Endowment > $1 Billion) for Oglethorpe University in Georgia (Endowment $33 Million). Her days are numbered in academia, which is not surprising given her “pedagogy”. To wit:
https://scholarshipweekend.oglethorpe.edu/schedule/student-seminars-essays/
DISEASE AND DEMOCRACY
Presenter: Dr. Meredith Raimondo, Sociology
If bacteria and viruses do not discriminate, why are there so many inequalities related to health in the United States? We will explore several historical and contemporary case studies, from yellow fever to HIV/AIDS, to understand how health has become a major site of inequality and what can be done to create greater health justice. Through these examples, we will explore the relationship between the promise of health as a human right and a robust and thriving democracy.
Viruses and bacteria are worse than being discriminatory. They consume their target hosts even if it means devouring their sustenance. Viruses like HIV have only one purpose: to reproduce. Once their host is dead, they lose their source of nourishment and cease to reproduce. Given the enormity of her carcass (likely BMI >35), Meredith would do well to go on a perpetual hunger strike, for the cause of food disparities and reparations for health justice. She has taken food away from people and caused their health inequalities.
I dislike people who use HIV as a cloak of self-righteousness.
This has been one of the more frustrating examples of liberal bullying during this reign of woke terror.
Now we will be subjected to 25 comments by “Anonymous” telling us that Turley is bad, Trump is bad, Fox is bad, Republicans are bad, Reagan is bad, Nixon is bad and Cheney is good. Followed by Natatcha, Svelaz and a few other paste eaters commenting in agreement.
Good! This is why I believe ultimately snowflakes and their mentors will be marginalized: no one, not even the fed, not billionaires, wants to consistently lose that kind of money; it’s untenable in any situation, and people will become weary of these very, very expensive temper tantrums. The money will (sadly) probably be more of a wake up call than the snowflake violence and mayhem.
Won’t the $36 million be paid by an insurer rather than directly by Oberlin? If so, then why didn’t the insurer try harder to force a settlement?
Regardless of who is on the hook for the $36 million, that Oberlin was able to turn a mundane shoplifting dispute involving a few dollars worth of liquor into a $36 million judgment is extremely impressive. Few could pull that off.
Progressivism is a mental disorder.
When I was in HS Oberlin was a top 5 Liberal Arts college, now it is struggling to stay in the top 35-40. Gee, wonder why?
In the 1960’s, Oberlin was the college high schoolers applied to if they could afford it (it was always on the expensive side), if those kids were the ones who wore sandals to class when no one else did, who had the long hair if they were boys, who like folk music more than rock’n’roll, and were into the protesting of the war at the time (Vietnam). But Oberlin’s academic rep was solid, no one doubted that.
As Prof. Turley points out, if you choose Oberlin as your school of choice now in 2022, you’re either oblivious to this court debacle, or you believe the school officials have acted appropriately. What a stain on your degree when you graduate.
The college could spend that much money against a small business. Clearly they were trying to bully and bankrupt them in legal fees. Can’t say justice was done because it took far too long but glad the University got the loss it deserved.
Being a Leftist means never having to say you’re sorry. Did anyone in the MSM and government apologize to former President Trump for pushing the Russian collusion hoax for over two years, much to the harm not only of Trump but also the country?
No, they did not.
They deserve payback with usurious interest!
Why wasn’t t the ruling 7-0? Someone should turn the light on those liberal “giants”.
Good for the Court. Pay up, Oberlin.
Ms Raimondo is not very highly thought of by her students. Rate my professor has her at a 3.1/5. Half of the students called her “Awful”.
Negative Comments:
Wokappopotamus. What a horrible person.
Woke racist. Absolute Piece of SHIITI
Very unfair. Unwilling to accept accountability for actions. Poor role model for us youth.
Piece of garbage for a “professor”.
Its Pure Baizuo woke political garbage od a woman.
“spoiled intellectually”
Useless, money for nothing. Angry white Karen you yells “RACIST” every time anyone challenges her
Terrible human
Racist and disgusting leftist POS. She’s a disgrace to humanity.
She’s racist.
A completely worthless class taught by a dimwad. Cost Oberlin $31M in damages.
She is only good at teaching bad behavior. A terrible example.
So, not only is she a Marxist turd with a vengeance towards this bakery, she sucks at her job.
https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=390667
Would be justice if Oberlin College goes belly up and the grocery store continues operation as a success.
I followed this saga closely and was amazed at the dedication Oberlin had to their upside down bizarro narrative. Wokeness is an orthodoxy in every sense of the word. I believe there is evidence that every public school and almost all colleges, public and private, are controlled by this orthodoxy. Solution- the only chance at this late stage is to support unwoke media vigorously.