ADF, students reach settlement with SUNY Cortland to establish free speech policy
Two students assisted by the Alliance Defending Freedom have reached a settlement with SUNY Cortland after the school denied an application to start a Turning Point USA chapter.
A New York university has agreed to settle a lawsuit it was served for declining an application to start a chapter of a conservative student group.
SUNY Cortland was sued in February for declining Megan Rothmund and Gabriella Delorezo’s application to start a chapter of Turning Point USA.
The student government reversed its decision in March after being sued by the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of the students, but only recently reached a final settlement.
As part of the settlement, filed on Aug. 5, the student government will pay the plaintiffs $42,000. Additionally, it passed a resolution of July 10 which amends the process for student organization approval.
Under the new policy, students will have the option to file an appeal if their application to establish a group is denied. Students may send an appeal within 10 days of the denial from the Review Committee, which oversees the approval of student organizations, to the student government president. The student government president will review the appeal with legal counsel and make a final determination.
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“As a result of this lawsuit, SUNY Cortland ultimately decided to do the right thing, and that’s good for everyone,” said ADF Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann. “Students Gabriella Delorenzo and Megan Rothmund worked hard to form a TPUSA chapter at the university to bring together students who value freedom, free markets, and limited government. After Gabriella and Megan pursued legal action, the Student Government Association rightly decided to officially recognize the group and revise its policy to promote First Amendment freedoms for all students.”
“The Student Government’s revised club recognition policy is a necessary correction to its previous discriminatory stance,” said TPUSA Public Relations Manager Aubrey Laitsch. “The $42,000 compensation acknowledges the unjust challenges faced by our chapter.”
