UWyoming settles suit alleging discrimination against white, Christian male employee
Wilkins was fired without cause in September 2021 after filing a discrimination complaint.
The University of Wyoming settled for $15,000 after an employee sued for being denied employment opportunities because he is a ‘white Christian male.'
The University of Wyoming (UW) settled a lawsuit after a former employee sued, claiming he was discriminated against for being a white, Christian male.
UW settled for $15,000 after Jeffrey Lynn “JL” Wilkins, a former UW intern and part-time employee from 2015 to 2021, sought $900,000 in damages after being denied promotion opportunities based on his skin color and sex, the lawsuit states.
UW reasoned that the $15,000 settlement would be cheaper than taking the case to trial, Cowboy State Daily reported.
Wilkins alleged that his supervisor, Tiffany Bishop, told him he would need to “‘check a box’ if he wanted to move up at the University of Wyoming,” as previously reported by Campus Reform .
The lawsuit states UW violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Wilkins’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Gabe Saint, the president of UW’s Turning Point USA chapter, told Campus Reform that he is not surprised about the lawsuit.
“There is a strong DEI culture here where people on campus make it known that white people ought to acknowledge their privilege,” Saint told Campus Reform.
Saint explained how he had seen “professors or faculty of some sort preaching about how white males are the worst part of society.”
“Many buy into the neo-marxist principles propped up by Critical Race Theory and Critical Gender Theory,” Saint said. “They believe in the oppressed/oppressor system and teach it to their students. This happens a lot in the Arts and Sciences, but I even know STEM majors who have had to deal with professors that emphasize CRT principles in their courses.”
The U.S. District Court of Wyoming had dismissed all but one of Wilkins’ claims before the settlement was reached, Cowboy State Daily reported. The remaining claim involved UW’s alleged retaliatory firing of Wilkins after he had filed a discrimination complaint in July 2021.
[RELATED: University pays $165K in legal fees after firing professor for ‘microaggression’]
“I hope this case enlightens my fellow Wyomingites that their prized university is woke just like every other university,” said Saint. “I think it brought to light some of the things that are happening at UW. I love UW, it is my home and there is a reason why I fight for it through TPUSA and student government.”
UW told Campus Reform that “[t]he prior dismissals and settlement for $15,000 -- less than 2 percent of what Mr. Wilkins alleged as damages -- are a significant victory for the university.”
Campus Reform contacted Wilkins and Bishop. This article will be updated accordingly.
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