Oberlin College in Ohio paid more than $36 million to Gibson’s Bakery and Food Mart after years of trying to overturn a jury decision that found the university maligned the local bakery.
In 2016, Allyn Gibson, the son of Gibson’s Bakery and Food Mart owners David Gibson and Allyn Gibson, chased and accosted a black student suspected of stealing a bottle of wine on November 9, 2016. Two Oberlin College students, They are also black and were friends with the student who stole the bottle, they got involved in the incident that turned physical.
In a statement to Fox 8, a spokesperson for Oberlin College said the institution paid $36.6 million to the bakery, which covers awarded damages, legal fees and accrued interest.
Brandon McHugh, an attorney representing the Gibsons, confirmed to WKYC that the funds were received.
OHIO BAKERY CELEBRATES DEFAMATION WIN OVER OBERLIN, VOWS TO REBUILD WHAT FALSE RACISM ALLEGATIONS DESTROYED
Pedestrians walk past the Gibson’s Food Mart and Bakery store in Oberlin, Ohio on November 22, 2017.
(AP Photo/Dake Kang, File)
“We can confirm that all funds have been disbursed and that the family is continuing the process of rebuilding Gibson’s Bakery for generations to come,” McHugh said.
The three students were arrested and pleaded guilty to lesser charges, according to court documents.
In 2017, the owners of Gibson’s Bakery and Food Mart sued Oberlin College, alleging that the school slandered them and caused damage to their business.
OHIO UNIVERSITY RACKS MILLIONS IN INTEREST ON CASH OWED TO BAKERY FOR FALSE RACISM ALLEGATIONS
This March 5, 2013 file photo shows a student riding a bicycle on the Oberlin College campus in Oberlin, Ohio. The Ninth District Court of Appeals upheld a $31 million judgment on Thursday, March 31, 2022 against Oberlin College that had been awarded to Gibson’s Bakery and Food Mart that successfully asserted that the school slandered it after a theft incident at a store in November 2016.
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Oberlin College students protested outside the bakery following the robbery incident. During a protest, former Oberlin College Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo handed out fliers saying the bakery is a “RACIST establishment with a LONG COUNT OF RACIAL PROFILING and DISCRIMINATION,” according to court documents.
University resources were also used to print flyers and purchase food and other supplies to support the protesters. Also, the school stopped buying food from the bakery.
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In this Nov. 22, 2017, file photo, pedestrians walk past Gibson’s Food Mart & Bakery in Oberlin, Ohio.
(AP Photo/Dake Kang)
While a jury ruled in favor of the bakery, ordering Oberlin College to pay $44 million, damages were reduced to $25 million. A court ordered Oberlin College to pay an additional $6.5 million to cover its legal expenses in 2019.
Oberlin College appealed the case all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, which denied the appeal.
Associated Press and Emma Colton of Fox News contributed to this report.
