A former Valdosta State University student’s long-running First Amendment lawsuit will end with a $900,000 settlement, according to a news release from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
Thomas Hayden Barnes was expelled from the Georgia college in 2008 after he protested the building of two parking garages. He sued the college’s president, Ronald M. Zaccari, and in 2013 a federal jury awarded Mr. Barnes $50,000 after finding that the college had violated his due-process rights. In January a federal court revived the free-speech component of Mr. Barnes’s lawsuit, setting the stage for a settlement.
“I am pleased to have finally reached a resolution,” Mr. Barnes said in the foundation’s news release. “It has been an epic journey. However, it was a worthwhile endeavor because I know as a result of this case other students will have their constitutional rights respected.”
According to the settlement agreement, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services will pay $900,000 to Mr. Barnes’s lawyers.
Cecil P. Staton, the university’s interim president, said in a written statement on Friday that it was “pleased this matter has been finally closed.”
Correction (7/24/2015, 1:48 p.m.): This post originally stated incorrectly that the university would pay the $900,000 settlement. The sum will be paid by the Georgia Department of Administrative Services. The post has been updated to reflect this correction, along with a statement issued on Friday by the university’s interim president.
