Conservative Professor Scores Multimillion-Dollar Win After Yearslong Battle with California College
In 2021, Matthew Garrett, a tenured history professor at Bakersfield College in California, sued the Kern Community College District after he was fired for opposing campus racial diversity policies, claiming his First Amendment rights were violated. The legal dispute arose after Garrett delivered a speech defending free speech and criticized district spending on social justice programs. In July 2024, the college district settled the lawsuit for $2.4 million, with Garrett receiving an upfront payment and the remainder in installments over 20 years. While Garrett saw this as a victory for free speech, the district maintained that the settlement was in its best interest and denied any wrongdoing, framing the issue as a disciplinary matter unrelated to free speech. The case has sparked discussions about the treatment of conservative voices in academia and the ongoing struggle for free speech rights in higher education. Garrett emphasized the importance of continuing the fight for free speech across colleges nationwide.
An outspoken conservative professor is getting the last word against the community college that fired him — and it’s worth millions.
In 2021, Matthew Garrette, then a tenured history professor at Bakersfield College in California’s Kern Community College District, sued the district claiming in federal court that it had violated his First Amendment rights for retaliating against him for his opposition to campus racial diversity policies, according to Fox News.
In an agreement announced in July, the district agreed to pay Garrett $2.4 million to settle the case.
The dispute flared up in 2019, when Garrett delivered a speech on campus defending free speech, according to a College Fix report in 2020.
Garrett also questioned the use of district money for social justice programs, the College Fix reported.
The district reacted by launching an investigation into Garrett. In 2023, Fox reported, the district’s board of trustees voted to fire him on grounds of “immoral and unprofessional conduct,” Fox reported.
The settlement includes an agreement for the district to pay Garrett $2.4 million — in a lump sum payment of $154,520 with the remainder paid in monthly installments over the next 20 years, according to the College Fix.
The district also agreed to pay Garrett’s attorneys fees.
In return, Garrett dropped his complaint and agreed to resign from the school.
In short, it’s a complete win for the professor. But the district admits no wrongdoing.
“KCCD believes the settlement is in the best interest of the District and allows us to focus on the future and continue to deliver quality higher education for students of Kern County without any further legal distractions,” the district said in a statement, according to Fox.
The statement further explained: “To be clear, the dispute with Matthew Garrett was a disciplinary matter due to his disruptive actions on campus, none of which concerned freedom of speech. Kern Community College District unequivocally supports the right for our students and faculty to their views and opinions on campus and elsewhere. As a District, we create an environment that provides our diverse students and communities with the opportunity to professionally engage with new ideas.”
Anyone who’s followed the news lately about how higher education treats voices that dissent from the leftist viewpoint will have trouble believing just about any campus that claims to value true freedom of speech.
And Garrett’s statement on the social media platform X after the settlement didn’t hold back about what was truly going on.
— Matthew Garrett (@DrMattGarrett) July 27, 2024
“I am pleased to announce that truth, facts and free speech have prevailed,” the statement said.
“After five years of administrative misconduct, a decisive courtroom display exonerated me of all allegations and exposed that Kern Community College District engaged in flagrant retaliation for my questioning of partisan policies and wasteful expenditures.
“Facing an imminent ruling in my favor and the prospect of paying millions of dollars in damages, KCCD had only one viable option: settlement.”
Now, there’s no question that this is a win for conservatives — for free speech and for liberty.
A college professor who stands up to the woke mindset that is destroying American higher education — from the prestige of the Ivy League to community colleges in California — should never be threatened with professional destruction simply for exercising the freedom of speech the United States Constitution guarantees.
But it clearly happened in Garrett’s case — no matter what fig leaf the district’s legalistic statement tried to put on it.
Fortunately, Garrett had the professional status of tenure to fight back.
Unfortunately, there are too many others who might be subject to similar retaliation who do not have the same resources.
For them, Garrett had a message:
“I am pleased to announce the District chose to settle,” his statement on X concluded.
“However the fight for free speech continues at Bakersfield College and institutions across the nation. Keep the faith: We are winning the battle, one case at a time.”
That’s the last word in this case — and that’s what matters.
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