The college said it will pay nearly $37 million to a local bakery that sued the school for libel following a 2016 shoplifting incident involving three Black students.
Ohio's Oberlin College on Thursday said it will pay nearly $37 million to a local bakery that sued the school for libel following a 2016 shoplifting incident involving three Black students. of a lower-court ruling ordering the college to pay $25 million to Gibson's Bakery, which accused the college of branding the store as racist and harming its business as result.
"We are disappointed by the Court's decision. However, this does not diminish our respect for the law and the integrity of our legal system," Oberlin College said in a statement provided to CBS MoneyWatch."This matter has been painful for everyone. We hope that the end of the litigation will begin the healing of our entire community.
The arrests triggered student protests outside Gibson's, where flyers accusing the owners of racist business practices were distributed. A Student Senate resolution condemning Gibsons was emailed to all students and was posted in a display case at the school's student center, where it remained for a year.
A local jury awarded the Gibsons $44 million in compensatory and punitive damages in June 2019 after a five-week trial. A judge later reduced the award to $25 million.In this Nov. 22, 2017 photo, pedestrians pass the storefront of Gibson's Food Mart & Bakery in Oberlin, Ohio.Plakas Mannos, the law firm representing the bakery, celebrated Oberlin's decision not to pursue additional appeals.
"Truth still matters, and David has overcome Goliath," the law firm said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch."Now, the Gibsons will be able to rebuild the business their family started 137 years ago and keep the lights on for another generation."
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