Liberal scummy filth (they're actually TRAITORS who should be dealt with accordingly) get their just deserts fm the courts
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Apollonian
Guest Columnist
Oberlin College REFUSES to pay $33m in damages to family-run bakery that called cops on three black students for shoplifting: Dean of the liberal arts college falsely accused store of racial profiling and set woke mob on them
STATION GOSSIP 03:58Link: http://www.stationgossip.com/2022/04/oberlin-college-refuses-to-pay-33m-in.html
A woke Ohio college has continued to refuse to pay a $33 million defamation settlement to a family-run bakery it tried to destroy afte...
Oberlin College REFUSES to pay $33m in damages to family-run bakery that called cops on three black students for shoplifting: Dean of the liberal arts college falsely accused store of racial profiling and set woke mob on themPennsylvania man, 54, is arrested after putting 'I did that!' Biden stickers onto gas pumps to protest high pricesA woke Ohio college has continued to refuse to pay a $33 million defamation settlement to a family-run bakery it tried to destroy after falsely accusing it of racism.
Oberlin College was ordered by Ohio's state appeals court to pay Gibson's Bakery the sum on April 1, but continues to contest the payout, and says it is considering its options.
The bakery was wrongly accused of racism after calling the police on three Oberlin black students for shoplifting a bottle of wine.
One of its workers - Allyn Gibson - was even attacked by the three shoplifters after refusing to hand over a fake ID, and demanding they hand over the stolen wine.
That trio were later convicted - but not before Oberlin went along with its students' union's claim that their arrests had been as a result of racial profiling.
Shockingly, the college's then dean of students, Meredith Raimondo, helped circle the wagons, and even distributed leaflets accusing Gibson's of racial profiling in an attempt to destroy the 137 year-old business.
The arrogant academic even texted another dean to share her desire to unleash another woke mob on an academic who blasted Oberlin's bullying of Gibson's.
She wrote: 'F**k him. I’d say unleash the students if I wasn’t convinced this needs to be put behind us.'
Despite her disgraceful lies and bullying, the 52 year-old was allowed to stay with the college, and stepped down at the end of 2021 to take up a position at Oglethorpe College in Georgia.
Jonathan Aladin, Endia Lawrence (center) and Cecilia Whettstone (right) were all convicted of shoplifting from Oberlin - but the woke college still accused the family-run business they stole from of racism, and boycotted them
A Student Senate resolution condemning the Gibson's was emailed to all students and was posted in a display case at school's student center, where it remained for a year.
Oberlin College officials ordered its campus food provider to stop buying bakery items from Gibson's.
The appeal court's decision is the latest chapter in a years-long battle between the private liberal arts college and the bakery that has been run by the same family in the town of Oberlin since 1885.
Gibson's found itself plunged into a firestorm On November 9th, 2016, the day after Donald Trump was elected president.
The drama began a black Oberlin student, Jonathan Aladin, was caught attempting to steal a bottle of wine from the bakery by a white employee, Allyn Gibson.
Gibson chased Aladin down the street and, according to witness accounts reported by the The New York Times, put the man in a choke-hold before two of the student's friends - Endia Lawrence and Cecelia Whettstone - intervened and a brawl ensued.
The next day Oberlin students held protests outside Gibson's accusing the bakery of racially profiling Aladin.
Aladin, Lawrence and Whettstone, would later plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of attempted theft and aggravated trespass, and themselves said Gibson's actions were not racially motivated.
But Oberlin - led by dean Raimondo and many students - had already decided to punish Gibson's for the imaged transgression.
The protests led to a severe loss in Gibson's Bakery business, including the loss of a vital contract the bakery had held with the school for years.
It had suffered frequent thefts in the run-up to the incident which saw it accused of racism.
Gibson's Bakery sued Oberlin College and one of its administrators -- Meredith Raimondo -- in 2017 for loss of business.
In 2019, Oberlin College was found guilty, due largely to evidence against Raimondo who had distributed fliers during the protests accusing the bakery of a longtime history of racial profiling and offered students up to $100 in compensation for protest supplies.
In 2019 Oberlin College was found guilty and ordered to pay Gibson's Bakery $40 million in damages, which was reduced to $25 million and $6 million in legal fees.
The unrepentant college has dragged the case out for so long that two of the plaintiffs died while waiting for the cash.
David Gibson died in November 2019 at age 65. Allyn Gibson, the father of the bakery worker who was attacked, died in February this year. He was 93.
The college and Raimondo appealed that sentence, but it was upheld this month.
After this month's ruling, Oberlin admitted that it is still refusing to pay the cash to the family business it tried to ruin.
And the college issued a mealy-mouthed statement when contacted by DailyMail.com on Monday, saying: 'Oberlin is obviously disappointed that the appeals court affirmed the judgment in its ruling. We are reviewing the Court’s opinion carefully as we evaluate our options and determine next steps.
'In the meantime, we recognize that the issues raised by this case have been challenging, not only for the parties involved in the lawsuit, 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.'
Apollonian
Guest Columnist
Woke Oberlin College is hit with FOUR MILLION DOLLARS in interest charges for dragging its heels in paying $36m defamation damages to family-run bakery over false racism claims
Link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...gging-heels-paying-36m-family-run-bakery.html- Oberlin College has been hit with $4 million in interest fees for refusing to pay the $36 million it owes to a family-run bakery
- Gibson's Bakery in Oberlin, Ohio is struggling to survive after Oberlin College students and faculty member Meredith Raimondo accused its staff of racism
- Despite the allegations being proven false, students continue to boycott
- The 137 year-old bakery continues to struggle financially because of the incident
- Owner Allyn Gibson and his son, David Gibson, have since passed while the family awaits a $33million settlement from Oberlin College
PUBLISHED: 10:09 EDT, 10 July 2022 | UPDATED: 10:57 EDT, 10 July 2022
A woke Ohio college now faces paying $4 million in interest on top of $36 million in damages to a family-run bakery it almost destroyed with false racism allegations.
Oberlin College was last month told it must pay the additional fee - equivalent to around $4,000-a-day for each of the 1,000 days it has refused to pony up - to Gibson's Bakery, The Chronicle reported.
Oberlin College led by one of its disgraced ex-deans, Meredith Raimondo, lied that the bakery's staff had racially-profiled three black students in 2016, despite the trio later admitting shoplifting.
That sparked a boycott and protests - led by a bullhorn-waving Raimondo - that almost destroyed Gibson's, who successfully won a defamation payout in 2019.
But Oberlin has refused to pay up, and asked for another stay in paying the Gibsons what they're owed because of a pending appeal against the ruling against them.
That appeal is set to be heard by the Ohio Supreme Court, after two lower courts rejected Oberlin's attempts to slither out of paying the Gibsons.
Lawyers for the Gibson family say Oberlin failed to file the correct paperwork to justify their latest delaying tactic, and must pay up. The legal stalemate continues for now.
The Gibson family, who owns the 137 year-old bakery, won damages after a jury found they suffered horrific stress as a result of Oberlin's lies and involvement in the boycotting of the business.
Gibson's Bakery was quiet during a visit by DailyMail.com in April 2022. Family members were too upset to discuss their ordeal at the hands of Oberlin, but their lawyer said it had cost them business and forced them to lay-off staff
Former Dean of Students and Vice President Meredith Raimondo stoked protests against Gibson's Bakery following the shoplifting incident, even though the claims were found to be totally false. She has since been blamed for much of the behavior that has seen Oberlin ordered to pay $35 million for defamation, with Raimondo since moving to a college in Atlanta
The bakery in Oberlin, Ohio has struggled to survive and had to slash half its staff earlier this year after the 2016 incident that saw Oberlin College students - and senior staff members - brand the family business racist.
They did so after the Gibsons' called the cops on three black shoplifters who stole wine and attacked a staff member, and who were later convicted.
A court ordered Oberlin college and its former dean of students Meredith Raimondo to pay out $44 million for defamation in 2019. It was later reduced to $33 million - which the college has refused to pay - and is being hit with a little over $4 million in interest fees.
The judgment now stands at more than $36 million - which includes the $31.6 million, plus interest, or about $4,300 daily over the 1,064 days since, The Chronicle reported.
In a court filing on Wednesday, Oberlin College asked the Ohio Supreme Court to issue an order halting payment of the $36 million while the college appeals rulings by two lower courts.
Both the college and the bakery have appealed in Ohio Supreme Court. But a court date to hear appeals has not been set.
In a court filing on May 27, attorneys for the bakery asked the court to order the college to pay the judgment, saying the college failed to file a necessary motion with the 9th District Court of Appeals to halt the process.
Oberlin College got an appeal bond through Zurich American Insurance Co., The Chronicle reported. This ensures the judgment can be paid if their appeals are unsuccessful.
After the appeal was decided and the college took the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, the Gibsons 'reversed course — filing a motion with the trial court not against Oberlin, but against Zurich to collect under the surety bond to try to moot this appeal,' Oberlin's lawyers wrote.
Oberlin College wrote in the filing that it 'asks this court to issue a confirmatory stay to stop (the Gibsons') efforts to collect on the bond issued by Zurich.'
'Even if neither the trial court's stay nor the terms of the bond contemplated that the stay would remain in effect pending the 'exhaustion of all of the Defendants' appeals,'' the Ohio Supreme Court 'would have the authority to extend the stay and continue the term of the bond to encompass Oberlin's pending appeal,' the college wrote.
Jonathan Aladin, Endia Lawrence (center) and Cecilia Whettstone (right) were all convicted of shoplifting from Oberlin - but the woke college still accused the family-run business they stole from of racism, and boycotted them
Oberlin has arrogantly declared that it still won't pay out after losing a state court appeal back in April.
It has also refused to apologize, despite multiple college staff and numerous resources being deployed for the protests and boycotts. Meanwhile, Raimondo has landed on her feet with a cozy new college job in Georgia despite her appalling behavior.
The saga inflicted by college has dragged on for so long that two senior members of the Gibson family died with a stain on their reputation, while waiting for the cash they're legally entitled to.
Allyn Gibson Sr - who marched with Martin Luther King Jr - died in February this year aged 93.
And one of his sons, David, died of pancreatic cancer in November 2019 aged 65. He revealed he'd agreed to avoid mentioning the disease during the defamation trial for fear of influencing the jury.
But he released a message before his death saying he believed Oberlin bosses were trying to 'wait the family out' before paying in the hopes that his death would take the heat off them.
The family's attorney Lee Plakas said an unofficial boycott among Oberlin staff and students remains in place, with the bakery quiet when DailyMail.com visited on Tuesday morning.
Plakas explained that when Gibson's hits the news - such as in a DailyMail.com report published yesterday, which was followed-up by Fox News, orders usually roll in.
The family opened-up this morning to 100 enquiries from prospective customers, but Plakas says this business eventually tails off as the story fades from memory, leaving the Gibsons scrabbling around to try and make ends meet.
But former Oberlin dean of students and vice president Meredith Raimondo has faced no such heartache. She was allowed to leave her job in 2021 - despite leading the charge against Gibson's and even protesting outside the shop with a bullhorn and leaflets accusing it of racial profiling.
Raimondo - who also threatened to unleash a woke mob on a professor who criticized the protests - is now free to wreak havoc at Oglethorpe Liberal Arts College in Atlanta.
She took up a position there as vice president of student affairs, and has not responded to DailyMail.com requests for comment on her bullying behavior.
Allyn Gibson (right) and David Gibson (left) fought for their family's legacy until their deaths. David Gibson died in November 2019 at age 65 and Allyn, 93, died in February 2022
Attorney Lee Plakas, who represents the Gibsons, told DailyMail.com in April that the college's false accusations continue to hurt the family today.
'Business has suffered and the family is doing everything they possibly can to continue the bakery's tradition,' he said, noting how the bakery was forced to cut back its staff, going from nearly a dozen workers to three to four total employees.
Plakas said the Gibsons were forced to downsize operations because business has significantly slowed and that 'they're just trying to hold on until the justice system forces the college to pay for the damages they caused.'
'The Gibsons are understandably concerned,' the attorney explained. 'They are very disappointed that the college, to this date - even with this record and mountain of evidence that they were wrong - is acting this way.'
Oberlin can take the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, and US Supreme Court. Legal analysts say the famously-woke college may be deploying cutthroat legal tactics in a bid to force the Gibsons to settle for less, in return for avoiding the stress of further legal tussles.
After the allegations of racial profiling surfaced, Oberlin College terminated its contract with Gibson's, which had been longtime provider to the school's dining hall facility, despite the fact that the bakery never received any complaints of about its product, prices or professionalism
Timeline of Gibson vs. Oberlin College
Nov. 9, 2016: Allyn Gibson Jr. catches Oberlin College student Jonathan Aladin stealing a bottle of wine from Gibson's Bakery around 5pm, prompting a pursuit down the street. Aladin's friends, Endia Lawrence and Cecilia Whettstone, intervened and a brawl ensued. All three students are arrested.Later that evening, around 10pm, a group of students plan a protest alleging Allyn Jr racially profiled the three suspects. The students promote the protest via email.
Nov. 10, 2016: Dean of Students Meredith Ramiondo learns of the planned protest around 7am. She helps distribute a student-created flyer detailing the incident and encouraging community members to boycott Gibson's.
Around 11am, approximately 200 students gathered outside Gibson's Bakery in protest. Raimondo helped lead the demonstration using a megaphone.
Later that evening, around 11.15pm the Oberlin College Student Senate notifies school officials it has passed a resolution condemning the bakery. The resolution posted in a display case at school's student center, where it remained for a year.
Nov. 11, 2016: Students assemble around 11am for a second day of protest.
Nov. 12, 2016: Counterprotests arrive in Oberlin to show their support for the Gibson family.
Nov. 14, 2016: Oberlin College suspends placing daily orders for bakery products for the dining halls. All other business arrangements with the shop are permitted to continue.
Nov. 21, 2016: Then-college President Krislov meets with David Gibson and others at the President's House.
Jan. 18, 2017: Dean of Students and Chief of Staff meet with David Gibson.
Jan. 23, 2017: President Krislov issues a statement to the campus community indicating that the college is resuming standing orders with the bakery.
April 27, 2017: Indictments are filed against Aladin, Lawrence and Whettstone, which included felony robbery charges.
Aug. 14, 2017: The three students charged with shoplifting pleaded guilty to amended misdemeanor charges. The plea deal called for them to receive no jail time and to pay restitution.
Nov. 17, 2017: Gibson family files a defamation lawsuit against Oberlin College and Raimondo.
June 2019: A jury awards found the school guilty of libel, due largely to evidence against Raimondo. Oberlin College was ordered to pay Gibson's Bakery $40 million in damages, which was reduced to $25 million and $6 million in legal fees
Oct. 9, 2019: Oberlin College announces its attorneys were filing an appeal in the Gibson's Bakery case.
Nov. 16, 2019: David Gibson dies at age 65 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
June 5, 2020: Oberlin College files appeal brief in Gibson's Bakery case
Feb. 12, 2022: Allyn Gibson Sr dies at age 93.
March 31, 2022: The court rejects appeals by Oberlin College and upheld the judgment against the school.
April 1, 2022: The court orders Oberlin College to pay Gibson's $33million. The college continues to contest the payout and says it is considering its options.
April 4, 2022: A DailyMail.com reporter visits Oberlin, Ohio and speaks with the Gibson family attorney.
The college feared its student body would have 'food tantrums' if they continue to serve Gibson's products, so it ceased using the bakery as a food service provider, Plakas alleged.
'The college became the appeasers rather than the moderators,' he said. 'The reason they cancelled the longstanding food service order with Gibson was to appease the students because they feared the students would throw tantrums..
'Here's a college where tuition is approximately $70,000 a year and, I would expect if you send children to college and pay that tuition, you can reasonably expect there will be an adult in the room. The adult will be a moderating voice. But these adults were pouring gasoline on what should've been a spark and it became an inferno.'
The drama that severed the family's longstanding reputation in the Oberlin community also took a toll on the health of Allyn and his son, David Gibson, 65, both of whom died waiting for the college's settlement.
'The impact on the family is equally dramatic, if not more so,' Plakas said.
Allyn, also known as Grandpa Gibson, had reportedly dedicated his life to being a good citizen and maintaining the upstanding legacy his ancestors created when they opened the bakery in 1885.
'Grandpa Gibson told his son, David: 'I've lived my life the right way and done all the right things and I've helped people, people of all colors and ethnic backgrounds, and at the end of my hard life, they're trying to brand me and my family as a racist,'' Plakas recalled, citing David's testimony during the trial against Oberlin College.
'That moment was a poignant moment in trial. It was hard for David Gibson to get out that testimony because he knew how much these false claims had impacted and hurt Grandpa Gibson, who had dedicated his life to doing the right thing,' the attorney added.
'Grandpa marched with Martin Luther King for fairness and equality, so for the college to sacrifice the great Gibson to appease their students, had a dramatic impact on his health. When you ruin someone's reputation you can't go to the doctor, you have to live with it.'
David, who died in November 2019, was also committed to preserving the family's reputation despite his ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer.
'Defending their reputation and protecting the family legacy was so important to the family that although David Gibson had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during the trial and was receiving treatment, he was there every day at the trial when he was suffering,' Plakas shared.
Although he was ill, David refused to make the jury aware of his condition, fearing they might sympathize for him or his family, the attorney alleged.
'David said the whole purpose was a vindication of the family long reputation and he wanted any determination to be solely on the facts and the history,' Plakas told DailyMail.com. 'He was concerned if the jury knew he was being treated for cancer that would some way impact their verdict in his favor. He didn't want the verdict colored in anyway.'
Plakas shared how David believed the 'facts would speak for themselves' and he wanted his family to be judged 'on their conduct' and history in the community.
The 65-year-old knew 'the college helped propagate the false allegation they had a long history of racism' and was confident the evidence submitted to the jury would prove it.
David's dying wish was that his wife, Lorna Gibson, continue to fight for their family's bakery and legacy.
'Lorna is working hard, she feels vulnerable, and somewhat alone without David and Grandpa,' Plakas said of the now-owner of Gibson's Bakery.
'David made her promise, before he passed away, that she would do everything she could humanly do to keep the bakery going and not let the actions of Oberlin College end the long and proud history of the bakery.'
The attorney said Lorna believes by 'working as much as humanely possible' she is fulfilling her promise to her late husband.
Bakery owner David Gibson speaks after defamation victory in 2019
Allyn Gibson Jr (left) caught a black Oberlin student, Jonathan Aladin, attempting to steal a bottle of wine from the bakery. Allyn Jr chased Aladin down the street and, according to witness accounts, put the man in a choke-hold before two of the student's friends intervened and a brawl ensued. David Gibson (right) is pictured in 2016 after the attack
This is one of the flyers handed out by students, encouraging others to boycott Gibson's Bakery, later included in their libel lawsuit
However, as Gibson's Bakery struggled to survive, Raimondo, despite her lies and bullying, was allowed to continue working at the college until she stepped down at the end of 2021 to pursue an opportunity in Georgia.
Neither she nor her new employer, Oglethorpe College, immediately responded to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
When asked about Raimondo's employment, Plakas reiterated that Oberlin College took the side of appeasement.
'Since this event, the college never acted as the adult in the room or moderating force, they never mentored the students. They never said let's gather the facts and see what really happened,' he explained.
The attorney did note: 'Virtually, every admin that testified in the trial and made certain statements for admission to evidence is no longer at Oberlin.'
Gibson's Bakery found itself plunged into a firestorm on November 9, 2016, the day after Donald Trump was elected president.
The drama began Allyn Jr caught a black Oberlin student, Jonathan Aladin, attempting to steal a bottle of wine from the bakery.
Allyn Jr chased Aladin down the street and, according to witness accounts, put the man in a choke-hold before two of the student's friends - Endia Lawrence and Cecelia Whettstone - intervened and a brawl ensued.
The next day Oberlin students held protests outside Gibson's accusing the bakery of racially profiling Aladin.
The family's attorney said the Gibsons were forced to downsize operations because business has significantly slowed and that 'they're just trying to hold on until the justice system forces the college to pay for the damages they caused'. Gibson's Bakery is pictured on Tuesday
David Gibson is pictured serving whole wheat donuts to Stevie Wonder in May 2010
Oberlin police arrest suspect who stole from Gibson's bakery in 2016
The Oberlin College student newspaper publishes photos of the protests and pens: 'The social implications of being seen at Gibson's are much worse than any freshman faux pas I can imagine'
Aladin, Lawrence and Whettstone, later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of attempted theft and aggravated trespass, and themselves said Gibson's actions were not racially motivated.
But Oberlin, led by dean Raimondo and many students, had already decided to punish Gibson's for the imaged transgression before allowing them fair due process.
The students held protests outside the storefront that led to a severe loss in business, including the loss of a vital contract the bakery had held with the school for years.
'When the college sponsored new student tours, the student tour leaders - who are students paid by the college - go by and they tell the students and parents in the group, that Gibson's is a racist establishment and we don't go there,' Plakas said, alleging this rhetoric still occurs during tours today.
'They told incoming freshmen that the worst faux pas a freshman can commit is being seen at Gibson's bakery,' he added.
The shop also had suffered frequent thefts in the run-up to the incident which saw it accused of racism.
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ShareRaimondo encouraged the boycott and distributed fliers during the protests accusing the bakery of a longtime history of racial profiling and offered students up to $100 in compensation for protest supplies.
She even texted another dean to share her desire to unleash another woke mob on an academic who blasted Oberlin's bullying of Gibson's.
She wrote: 'F**k him. I'd say unleash the students if I wasn't convinced this needs to be put behind us.'
Gibson's Bakery sued Oberlin College and Raimondo in 2017 for loss of business.
In 2019, the school was found guilty, due largely to evidence against Raimondo.
The institution was ordered to pay Gibson's Bakery $40 million in damages, which was reduced to $25 million and $6 million in legal fees.
Gibson's Bakery sued Oberlin College (pictured Tuesday) and Raimondo in 2017 for loss of business. In 2019, the school was found guilty, due largely to evidence against Raimondo. The institution was ordered to pay Gibson's Bakery $40 million in damages, which was reduced to $25 million and $6 million in legal fees
The college and Raimondo appealed that sentence, but it was upheld this month. Oberlin College admitted that it is still refusing to pay the cash to the family business it tried to ruin.
The college issued a mealy-mouthed statement when contacted by DailyMail.com on Monday, saying: 'Oberlin is obviously disappointed that the appeals court affirmed the judgment in its ruling. We are reviewing the Court's opinion carefully as we evaluate our options and determine next steps.
'In the meantime, we recognize that the issues raised by this case have been challenging, not only for the parties involved in the lawsuit, 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 college was ranked among the 20 most expensive colleges in the U.S. last year, according to a report from The National Observer. Despite the high price tag, the school has only seen a 4 percent decline in its enrollment over the last five years.
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Apollonian
Guest Columnist
Oberlin Faces New Controversy Over Islamic Scholar's Support Of The Rushdie Fatwa
BY TYLER DURDENTUESDAY, AUG 16, 2022 - 06:45 PM
Authored by Jonathan Turley,
Link: https://www.zerohedge.com/political...y-over-islamic-scholars-support-rushdie-fatwa
It appears that Oberlin has another major controversy on its hand. For the last couple years, Oberlin has been embroiled in a fight with a small family-owned grocery that it defamed over a shoplifting case involving black students. Oberlin lost $25 million in a record verdict but Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar continued to refuse to apologize. In the meantime, the school seems intent on running the 137-year-old grocery into insolvency as it delays paying on the judgment. Now the school is under fire over a faculty member, Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, who supported the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. The author of Satanic Verses is recovering from a savage knife attack. Hadi Matar, 24, is accused of carrying out the stabbing attack and has expressed support for Iran in the past. The campaign to have Mahallati fired could present some difficult free speech and academic freedom questions.
Mahallati is a professor of religion and Islamic Studies and once served as the Islamic Republic’s ambassador at the United Nations.
According to Fox News.com, Mahallati was asked in 1989 about the “right to put a bounty on someone’s head” and responded “I think all Islamic countries agree with Iran. All Islamic nations and countries agree with Iran that any blasphemous statement against sacred figures should be condemned.” He then added insult to injury:
It was a familiar misrepresentation of free speech values. Islamic countries have long claimed that banning speech or killing those who engage in blasphemous speech is a form of free speech.
The Iranian view of free speech shows the extreme end of the slippery slope of relativism in free speech. We have been debating this increasingly common claim that shutting down speech is free speech. At the University of California campus, professors actually rallied around a professor who physically assaulted pro-life advocates and tore down their display. When conservative law professor Josh Blackman was stopped from speaking about “the importance of free speech,” CUNY Law Dean Mary Lu Bilek insisted that disrupting the speech on free speech was free speech. (Bilek later cancelled herself and resigned after an inappropriate comment in a faculty meeting).
In this case, Iran issued a fatwa supporting the killing of Rushdie and offering a huge reward. Ultimately, two of his translators were knifed, one fatally. Supporting a fatwa is an exercise of free speech. Acting on a fatwa to harm someone is a crime.
Critics, however, insist that Mahallati was a high-ranking official supporting this state action. Nevertheless, I still believe that a professor has the right to voice unpopular and frankly shocking positions in such controversies. I have defended faculty who have made similarly disturbing comments “detonating white people,” denouncing police, calling for Republicans to suffer, strangling police officers, celebrating the death of conservatives, calling for the killing of Trump supporters, supporting the murder of conservative protesters and other outrageous statements. I also defended the free speech rights of University of Rhode Island professor Erik Loomis, who defended the murder of a conservative protester and said that he saw “nothing wrong” with such acts of violence.
A more serious allegation has surfaced over a 2018 Amnesty International report accusing Mahallati of carrying out “crimes against humanity” for covering up the massacre of at least 5,000 Iranian dissidents in 1988. That is conduct or action by Mahallati that would raise grounds over his fitness as a member of a faculty. Yet, he has denied that allegation and Oberlin said that it has investigated and rejected it.
If the school has previously investigated the matter, it should be treated as closed absent new evidence. We recently saw the reopening of an investigation at Princeton as a pretext to fire a controversial faculty member.
On what we know, it would seem that Mahallati would be protected under free speech and academic principles despite his reported anti-free speech views.
Of course, it does not take away from the grotesque position that he has taken. Ironically, his faculty page discusses how he “developed innovative courses with interdisciplinary approach to friendship and forgiveness studies and also initiated the Oberlin annual Friendship Day Festival.” His personal website further states his research is “focused on the ethics of peacemaking in Islam in the context of comparative religions.”
Nothing says ethics and peace more than a lethal fatwa targeting dissenting authors.
As for Iran, it denies any involvement in the attack but added its own sense of offense at being criticized. Instead, it again attacked Rushdie.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said “We, in the incident of the attack on Salman Rushdie in the U.S., do not consider that anyone deserves blame and accusations except him and his supporters.” He added that the West “condemning the actions of the attacker and in return glorifying the actions of the insulter to Islamic beliefs is a contradictory attitude.”
It is strikingly similar to Mahallati’s statement back in 1989. Only in the most twisted view of free speech (and logic) would there be a contradiction in condemning the attempted murder of an author while supporting the author’s right to express his views.
Few academics would support Iran’s blood-soaked interpretation of free speech. However, we need to address the creeping relativism that is sweeping across our campus. A recent poll was released by 2021 College Free Speech Rankings after questioning a huge body of 37,000 students at 159 top-ranked U.S. colleges and universities. It found that sixty-six percent of college students think shouting down a speaker to stop them from speaking is a legitimate form of free speech. Another 23 percent believe violence can be used to cancel a speech. That is roughly one out of four supporting violence.
Faculty and editors are now actively supporting modern versions of book-burning with blacklists and bans for those with opposing political views. Others are supporting actual book burning. Columbia Journalism School Dean Steve Coll has denounced the “weaponization” of free speech, which appears to be the use of free speech by those on the right. As millions of students are taught that free speech is a threat and that “China is right” about censorship, these figures are shaping a new society in their own intolerant images.
It is the subject of my recent publication in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. The article entitled “Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States.”
Apollonian
Guest Columnist
'Truth still matters, and David has overcome Goliath': Family-run bakery hails $36.5 million settlement that Oberlin FINALLY paid - after woke college defamed the small business with false racism claims
Link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...m-owes-Ohio-bakery-defamed-racism-claims.html- Oberlin College has finally paid out the full $36.5 million it owes to Gibson's Bakery, after it was found to have defamed the store
- It had been ordered to pay the store $25 million after jurors ruled it had defamed the bakery by calling it 'racist' after a storeowner chased down thieves
- The college had tried to appeal the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, which announced on August 30 it would not take up the issue
- Finally on Thursday, the liberal arts college announced it 'has initiated payment on full of the $36.59million judgement'
- The amount 'represents awarded damages and accumulated interest'
PUBLISHED: 16:21 EDT, 8 September 2022 | UPDATED: 20:36 EDT, 8 September 2022
The owners of an Ohio bakery celebrated on Thursday their $36.5 million victory over the liberal arts institution Oberlin College in a defamation case, declaring that 'David has overcome Goliath'.
The college had been ordered to pay after jurors ruled that it had defamed Gibson's Bakery by describing the institution as racist, after the storeowner chased down three black students who stole from the business in November 2016.
With legal fees and interest, the amount rose to over $36.5 million.
Oberlin College had tried to appeal the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, which announced on August 30 it would not take up the issue.
Finally, in a statement on Thursday, the college announced it 'has initiated payment in full of the $36.59 million judgment in the Gibson's Bakery case and is awaiting payment information from the plaintiffs.
A lawyer for the bakery celebrated the huge settlement.
'With Oberlin's decision to not pursue any additional appeals, the Gibson Family's fight is finally over,' said Brandon McHugh, an attorney for the family.
'Truth still matters, and David has overcome Goliath.'
Oberlin College has now paid out the full $36.5 million it owes to the owners of Gibson's Bakery after it lost a defamation case
McHugh said the ruling meant the family firm was saved from collapse.
'While Oberlin College has still refused to admit they were wrong, the jury, a unanimous panel from the court of appeals, and a majority of the Ohio Supreme Court decided otherwise,' he said.
'Now, the Gibsons will be able to rebuild the business their family started 137 years ago and keep the lights on for another generation.'
The anger at Oberlin was whipped up by the former dean of students, Meredith Raimondo, who led the woke mob's attacks against Gibson's - and even turned up outside the business to screech accusations while toting a bullhorn.
While named as a defendant in the suit, she won't have to pay the settlement.
And despite the disgrace she heaped on her former employer, Raimondo has now landed a cozy job at Oglethorpe Liberal Arts College in Atlanta, and has yet to speak over her role in the costly scandal.
The statement continued to say that while school officials are 'disappointed by the Court's decision... We hope that the end of the litigation will begin the healing of our entire community.'
'We value our relationship with the City of Oberlin, and we look forward to continuing our support of, and partnership with, local businesses as we work together to help our city thrive,' school officials said.
They added that 'our careful financial planning... means that we can satisfy our legal obligation without impacting our academic and student experience.
'It is our belief that the way forward is to continue to support and strengthen the quality of education for our students now and into the future.'
Former Dean of Students and Vice President Meredith Raimondo stoked protests against Gibson's Bakery following the shoplifting incident, even though the claims were found to be totally false. She has since been blamed for much of the behavior that has seen Oberlin ordered to pay $35 million for defamation, with Raimondo since moving to a college in Atlanta
Bakery owner David Gibson speaks after defamation victory in 2019
Store owners Allyn Gibson and his son, David Gibson, both now deceased, sued Oberlin College in November 2017 claiming they had been libeled by the school and that their business had been harmed.
The suit was filed a year after David's son, also named Allyn, chased and tackled a black male student he suspected of having stolen a bottle of wine.
Two black female students who were with him then intervened; and all three were arrested and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.
The arrests sparked protests outside Gibson's Bakery where flyers were handed out, some by an Oberlin College vice president and dean of students, accusing the Gibsons of a long track record of racial profiling and discrimination.
A Student Senate resolution condemning the Gibson family was then emailed to all students and was posted in a display case at a school student center, where it remained for a year.
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And even after the storeowners complained about the way they were being portrayed by college officials, they refused to retract their claims, protests continued, and the store was forced to lay off half its staff and cut opening hours.
In June 2019, after a five-week trial, jurors awarded the Gibsons $44 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
The award was later reduced to $25 million and $6 million in legal fees, but rose again in this week's state supreme court decision after a series of appeals.
Allyn Gibson (right) and David Gibson (left) fought for their family's legacy until their deaths. David Gibson died in November 2019 at age 65 and Allyn, 93, died in February 2022
Jonathan Aladin, Endia Lawrence (center) and Cecilia Whettstone (right) were all convicted of shoplifting from Oberlin - but the woke college still accused the family-run business they stole from of racism, and boycotted them
Oberlin police arrest suspect who stole from Gibson's bakery in 2016
The bakery has been begging school officials to pay up, claiming their comments and subsequent boycott of their business hurt its reputation.
In an opinion article just last week, Lorna Gibson, widow of the former bakery owner, said the 'shelves are bare', it now only has a trickle of customers, staff have been laid off and the family — which is white — is deep in debt.
'If I got the money from the college, I wouldn't buy a house, or go on vacation, or leave Ohio. I would replace the compressors for the refrigerators and replace the fryers and proofers that we use for our dough,' she wrote.
'If the money doesn't come through within the next couple of months, I'll be forced to declare bankruptcy and shut the doors of Gibson's for good,' she added.
She then went on to describe how the massive protests in the days after Donald Trump's election affected the family's business.
'They blocked the door and screamed at customers who elbowed their way through to the counter. A few came in to record videos on their phones of our customers.'
'Our world was turned upside down and has never been set right,' Lorna Gibson wrote in the article, in which she strenuously rejected claims her family were 'white supremacists' who racially profiled customers.
'Calling us racists wasn't just wrong, it was deeply painful to our core.'
The boycott effectively continues to this day and freshmen nowadays are 'brainwashed to hate us' she added.
By November 2018, David Gibson died at the age of 65 after battling pancreatic cancer. His bereaved wife said she wanted to do everything she could 'to honor his final wish' and 'keep the doors open, no matter what'.
Allyn Gibson then died in February, aged 93. He spent much of his eighties sitting in front of the bakery, a 'fixture in the community' who chatted with locals, wrote Lorna Gibson.
After the protests, 'no one would talk to him. It broke his heart', she added.
Timeline of Gibson vs. Oberlin College
Nov. 9, 2016: Allyn Gibson Jr. catches Oberlin College student Jonathan Aladin stealing a bottle of wine from Gibson's Bakery around 5pm, prompting a pursuit down the street. Aladin's friends, Endia Lawrence and Cecilia Whettstone, intervened and a brawl ensued. All three students are arrested.Later that evening, around 10pm, a group of students plan a protest alleging Allyn Jr racially profiled the three suspects. The students promote the protest via email.
Nov. 10, 2016: Dean of Students Meredith Ramiondo learns of the planned protest around 7am. She helps distribute a student-created flyer detailing the incident and encouraging community members to boycott Gibson's.
Around 11am, approximately 200 students gathered outside Gibson's Bakery in protest. Raimondo helped lead the demonstration using a megaphone.
Later that evening, around 11.15pm the Oberlin College Student Senate notifies school officials it has passed a resolution condemning the bakery. The resolution posted in a display case at school's student center, where it remained for a year.
Nov. 11, 2016: Students assemble around 11am for a second day of protest.
Nov. 12, 2016: Counterprotests arrive in Oberlin to show their support for the Gibson family.
Nov. 14, 2016: Oberlin College suspends placing daily orders for bakery products for the dining halls. All other business arrangements with the shop are permitted to continue.
Nov. 21, 2016: Then-college President Krislov meets with David Gibson and others at the President's House.
Jan. 18, 2017: Dean of Students and Chief of Staff meet with David Gibson.
Jan. 23, 2017: President Krislov issues a statement to the campus community indicating that the college is resuming standing orders with the bakery.
April 27, 2017: Indictments are filed against Aladin, Lawrence and Whettstone, which included felony robbery charges.
Aug. 14, 2017: The three students charged with shoplifting pleaded guilty to amended misdemeanor charges. The plea deal called for them to receive no jail time and to pay restitution.
Nov. 17, 2017: Gibson family files a defamation lawsuit against Oberlin College and Raimondo.
June 2019: A jury awards found the school guilty of libel, due largely to evidence against Raimondo. Oberlin College was ordered to pay Gibson's Bakery $40 million in damages, which was reduced to $25 million and $6 million in legal fees
Oct. 9, 2019: Oberlin College announces its attorneys were filing an appeal in the Gibson's Bakery case.
Nov. 16, 2019: David Gibson dies at age 65 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
June 5, 2020: Oberlin College files appeal brief in Gibson's Bakery case
Feb. 12, 2022: Allyn Gibson Sr dies at age 93.
March 31, 2022: The court rejects appeals by Oberlin College and upheld the judgment against the school.
April 1, 2022: The court orders Oberlin College to pay Gibson's $33million. The college continues to contest the payout and says it is considering its options.
April 4, 2022: A DailyMail.com reporter visits Oberlin, Ohio and speaks with the Gibson family attorney.
August 30, 2022: The Ohio Supreme Court says it won't take up the college's appeal against the $25 million judgment
Apollonian
Guest Columnist
The Continuing Plot To Silence Trump's 2024 Comeback
BY TYLER DURDENSATURDAY, DEC 30, 2023 - 10:20 PM
Authored by Sharyl Attkisson via The Epoch Times,
Link: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/continuing-plot-silence-trumps-2024-comeback
Donald Trump has been slandered and libeled thousands of times.
Each time a news reporter, media commentator, or judge refers to Trump as an “insurrectionist,” or claims he’s guilty of “insurrection,” it’s another blatant case of defamation. Same with the other January 6 attendees and participants.
Insurrection is a serious federal crime punishable by up to ten years in prison under Title 18 U.S. Code 2383. Even with Trump’s enemies in charge at the Department of Justice and other law enforcement bodies, and with all of the scheming and operations they’ve mounted against him, nobody has convicted him of “insurrection.” Under our system of governing, no judge or election authority has the power to unilaterally accuse and convict any American of a crime, let alone with the accused denied any opportunity to present a defense or to appeal. Yet that’s just what’s happening when courts and officials in Maine and Colorado remove Trump from presidential election primary ballots for “insurrection.” It’s the ultimate defamation. And many are supporting it because, well, they don’t like Trump.
Looking at the evidence today, it is reasonable to hypotheisize that, among all the other consipracies Trump’s enemies have proven to devise, they also conspired in advance to set up his January 6, 2021 rally as an “insurrection” that could serve as their insurance policy to provide grounds to keep him from ever running for president again.
Such hypotheses might have once far-fetched, but no more. Let’s not forget that then-FBI agent Peter Strzok and his alleged lover, FBI attorney Lisa Page, texted each other in 2016 that they could not permit Trump to be elected president. According to their messages, discussions about the threat of a Trump presidency had taken place with the FBI’s then-assistant director, Andrew “Andy” McCabe. “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office - that there’s no way [Trump] gets elected,” texted Page, “but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before 40.”
The theory that Trump’s enemies set the stage for January 6 to be called “an insurrection” as a spoiler for his 2024 run could help explain why all of the law enforcement agents and informants planted in advance and among Trump supporters on January 6 didn’t serve their usual purpose of preventing crimes and de-escalating events. Instead, by many accounts, they observed and even took part, let crimes happen, and declined to separate the instigators and organizers as they would ordinarily do to defuse tensions and control the crowd. The agents and informants served the odd role of standing down during the event, and identifying alleged perpetrators after-the-fact.
Yet, in the end, there was no insurrection - at least according to prosecutors, who would be the ones to charge such crimes and haven’t.
And Trump helped destroy the chance to officially charge him with insurrection by specifically directing his followers that day to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
Trump’s opponents, found in both the Democrat and Republican ranks, are so delighted to see him persecuted, they are so utterly threatened by a repeat performance of a Trump presidency outside the traditional power and money interests, they are encouraging of the defamation and other acts against him. With few exceptions, like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., those who would normally criticize actions like the ones being mounted against Trump, remain silent for fear of being called a Trump supporter in an environment where that opens them to ostracization and worse. The media and those who control our information are so conflicted by their respective biases, nobody is left to stop the madness.
The real meaning of what’s being done to Trump is: They think he’s going to win.
He’s like Christmas and his enemies are like The Grinch.
Despite the impeachments, improper wiretapping, censorship, intel agency conspiracies, criminal charges, civil lawsuits, and turncoats operating against him on the inside - Trump’s popularity increased.
They haven’t stopped Trump from coming to the fore in 2024. He came! He came without Twitter. He came without Facebook. He came without Snapchat or Discord or Stripe. Somehow or other, he came just the same!
Pulling Trump off ballots is the establishment’s latest attempt to censor a candidate that they clearly believe will win - if the people are left to decide. We’ve reached a dangerous and scary point when so many are willing to look the other way because their preferred candidate isn’t the one under attack.
To end where we began - Trump potentially has actionable defamation claims against all those who continue label him an insurrectionist.
That includes judges on the Colorado Supreme Court and Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
But it’s likely not a battle he could win. The 2024 race? That’s another matter.
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