A conservative professor from California, Matthew Garrett, has secured a $2.4 million settlement after a protracted legal battle with the Kern Community College District (KCCD).
Garrett, who was previously a tenured history professor at Bakersfield College, filed a federal lawsuit against the district in 2021. He claimed that the college administration retaliated against him after he and a colleague questioned the potential misuse of grant funds for social justice initiatives on campus.
The settlement came after Garrett was fired in April 2023 on what the college alleged were “immoral and unprofessional conduct.”
However, Garrett has consistently denied these allegations, arguing instead that his dismissal was a direct result of his conservative views and his participation in a free speech coalition on campus.
In his response to the settlement, Garrett expressed gratitude to those who supported him and declared the outcome a significant victory for free speech.
He emphasized that the settlement not only cleared his name but also exposed the district’s retaliation against those who dared to question its policies.
The district, while agreeing to the settlement, maintained that the case was a disciplinary matter unrelated to free speech and has since moved to seal related documents from Garrett’s personnel file.
