Dive Brief:
- The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has won more than $200,000 in settlements so far from the free-speech lawsuits it has been filing against colleges and universities.
- The foundation’s Stand Up for Speech Litigation Project had started with lawsuits against Chicago State University, Citrus College, Iowa State University, and Ohio University in July, Inside Higher Ed reported.
- Previous lawsuits against Modesto Junior College and the University of Hawaii at Hilo have also been added to the current campaign, plus a new lawsuit against Western Michigan University.
Dive Insight:
More lawsuits are planned. Citrus College has been the big payout so far — $110,000. The college was sued for allegedly threatening to kick a student off campus because he discussed a petition outside of a designated “free speech zone” that covered 1.37% of campus. The college had been forced to get rid of free-speech zones after a foundation lawsuit in 2003, but had reinstated them. According to the foundation, the project has led at least nine higher ed institutions to make revisions to speech codes.