Oberlin loses Gibson lawsuit appeal

[Anonymous]

As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

Are you the same weirdo who spams nobels, fulbrights and rhodes tallies in every other thread? It's really creepy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

Yeah, and they just lost a $50 million dollar lawsuit for defaming a small business that was completely blameless -- great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

Are you the same weirdo who spams nobels, fulbrights and rhodes tallies in every other thread? It's really creepy.

I only did Nobels for Oberlin - just this once.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, and they just lost a $50 million dollar lawsuit for defaming a small business that was completely blameless -- great school.

I guess the facts about academic success don't matter to you. This seems to be a silly attack on the school, especially as PPs noted the insurance company will likely cover this costs and Oberlin's endowment is still quite strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend on staff. The current president is highly respected, the students are engaged and have excellent opportunities. As previous posters noted, the endowment is strong. The school's also a top Fulbright producer so is doing just fine. Current and future students won't care or be impacted by an incident that happened more than 5 years ago and involved administrators and students who are no longer on campus.

The new Administration kept the administrator (Raimondo), who committed most of the actions in question in the lawsuit, and the school paper described her as a “much beloved and highly respected” professor when she left of her own accord. They have never conceded that Oberlin or Raimondo did anything wrong, they have continued to torture the Gibson family with appeals, and they are just as bad as the previous bunch. They are the ones who have drug this out for six years and have ensured that it remains an issue. If they had simply admitted that they screwed up six years ago, this would all be behind them. Of course the school is still being impacted by this.

Oberlin had a legal right to appeal. No one forced the Gibson family to file suit or “tortured” them with an appeal. That is inherent in the decision to file litigation.

You don’t sound very educated on these matters.

DP. one doesn’t “file litigation”. Maybe you’re the one who “doesn’t sound very educated”

Yes, one does. And learn to punctuate correctly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

Are you the same weirdo who spams nobels, fulbrights and rhodes tallies in every other thread? It's really creepy.

This is pretty weak trolling. Creepy? That’s just lazy and sad.

I know you want to him up outrage against the libs, but the facts aren’t on your side here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

Yeah, and they just lost a $50 million dollar lawsuit for defaming a small business that was completely blameless -- great school.

Lawyer parent here. When I heard about this, I was sufficiently interested to do a bunch of research and read some pleadings, trial materials, etc. I don't deny that the Oberlin administrator seems to have badly overreacted and acted negligently, but the amount of the initial verdict and the background circumstances (including pretty minimal proof of damages and a weird incident in which the Gibson father was randomly attacked in a dark alley and the insinuation was that it was because of this protest behavior) seemed like a local white jury taking it out on an elitist institution that they felt disrespected them. That was also of a piece with my own experiences growing up in a similar part of Ohio and having extended family continue to live there (breaking news: super-racist). This unfortunate thing seemed to have taken on a life of its own. But it certainly didn't seem to be a reason to discount what seems to be a great school, which is as noted under an entirely new administrative/leadership team. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

+1

[Anonymous]

Two words: Lena Dunham

🤮

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

Yeah, and they just lost a $50 million dollar lawsuit for defaming a small business that was completely blameless -- great school.

Lawyer parent here. When I heard about this, I was sufficiently interested to do a bunch of research and read some pleadings, trial materials, etc. I don't deny that the Oberlin administrator seems to have badly overreacted and acted negligently, but the amount of the initial verdict and the background circumstances (including pretty minimal proof of damages and a weird incident in which the Gibson father was randomly attacked in a dark alley and the insinuation was that it was because of this protest behavior) seemed like a local white jury taking it out on an elitist institution that they felt disrespected them. That was also of a piece with my own experiences growing up in a similar part of Ohio and having extended family continue to live there (breaking news: super-racist). This unfortunate thing seemed to have taken on a life of its own. But it certainly didn't seem to be a reason to discount what seems to be a great school, which is as noted under an entirely new administrative/leadership team. YMMV.

I did the same a year or so ago, out of curiosity, the last time this came up on DCUM (and I actually do First Amendment law for a living ). I agree that the facts are all a little odd, including what seemed like the store employees using a little self-help in using force against the student, and a fairly clueless administrator of student life (who was also a faculty member, and if tenured may be why it took a few years for her to get out of Oberlin). But the actual law is on Oberlin's side (despite the jury and local judge and appellate panel), and the amount of damages and attorney's fees is pretty nuts. I agree that it shows more what people in the surrounding county feel about the college in their midst, than it does about either the claim or the underlying law. Ultimately, it will be reversed. And even if not, insurance will cover it. And if for some reason that doesn't happen, the very big endowment can gain more than 30M in a few months in this market.

It was all six years ago, and no one is left at Oberlin who actually had a role. Even the bakery owner is dead (family inherited it).

But Fox News and the WSJ editorial page love to go after places like Oberlin. So, this is grist for their mill, and it gets amplified by posters here.

Bottomline though, is I wouldn't hesitate to send my DC to Oberlin when he graduates from HS (assuming he can get in!). It's one of the SLACs that continues to have an intellectual environment, and a real identity (and I say that as someone who went to a fairly intense Ivy).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend on staff. The current president is highly respected, the students are engaged and have excellent opportunities. As previous posters noted, the endowment is strong. The school's also a top Fulbright producer so is doing just fine. Current and future students won't care or be impacted by an incident that happened more than 5 years ago and involved administrators and students who are no longer on campus.

The new Administration kept the administrator (Raimondo), who committed most of the actions in question in the lawsuit, and the school paper described her as a “much beloved and highly respected” professor when she left of her own accord. They have never conceded that Oberlin or Raimondo did anything wrong, they have continued to torture the Gibson family with appeals, and they are just as bad as the previous bunch. They are the ones who have drug this out for six years and have ensured that it remains an issue. If they had simply admitted that they screwed up six years ago, this would all be behind them. Of course the school is still being impacted by this.

Oberlin had a legal right to appeal. No one forced the Gibson family to file suit or “tortured” them with an appeal. That is inherent in the decision to file litigation.

You don’t sound very educated on these matters. [/


DP. one doesn’t “file litigation”. Maybe you’re the one who “doesn’t sound very educated”

Yes, one does. And learn to punctuate correctly.

One doesn’t “file litigation”.

[Anonymous]

Good! I hated this story years ago. Oberlin deserves all damages and more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As anyone knows, when you have a matter in litigation, you remain quiet and let the situation play out on the courts. So, I'm sure the school followed their attorney's advice. Meanwhile, for the 13th consecutive year, the school's a top producer of Fulbright Scholars so they're doing well academically. I know two current students who seem to be enjoying their experience.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/oberlin-named-top-fulbright-producer-2021-2022

Oberlin produced 4 Nobel prize winners. Their first was Robert Millikan who turned Caltech to what it is today. Their 4th was just last year in 2021. Oberlin still produces winners. It's in a league with Amherst and Swarthmore in terms of outcomes.

https://www.oberlin.edu/news/nobel-prize-economics-awarded-joshua-angrist

Yeah, and they just lost a $50 million dollar lawsuit for defaming a small business that was completely blameless -- great school.

Lawyer parent here. When I heard about this, I was sufficiently interested to do a bunch of research and read some pleadings, trial materials, etc. I don't deny that the Oberlin administrator seems to have badly overreacted and acted negligently, but the amount of the initial verdict and the background circumstances (including pretty minimal proof of damages and a weird incident in which the Gibson father was randomly attacked in a dark alley and the insinuation was that it was because of this protest behavior) seemed like a local white jury taking it out on an elitist institution that they felt disrespected them. That was also of a piece with my own experiences growing up in a similar part of Ohio and having extended family continue to live there (breaking news: super-racist). This unfortunate thing seemed to have taken on a life of its own. But it certainly didn't seem to be a reason to discount what seems to be a great school, which is as noted under an entirely new administrative/leadership team. YMMV.

Bingo. To all of this. Esp. the bolded (I'm from near that area).