A supporter of white nationalist Richard Spencer is dropping his lawsuit against the University of Cincinnati. The dismissal was filed in U.S. District Court Wednesday."As a result," UC President Neville Pinto says in a letter to the university community, "there are currently no plans for Spencer to speak at UC."
According to court documents, the case is dismissed with prejudice, meaning the plaintiff can't bring the action again. The agreement says both sides will pay their own court costs and attorney's fees.
Spencer last year requested to speak on the campuses of UC and The Ohio State University, threatening lawsuits against both if they refused. UC acquiesced, saying it was a matter of the First Amendment. Ohio State refused. Spencer dropped his lawsuit against OSU in March but continued, until now, against UC.
U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott had been scheduled to hear the case March 18, 2019.
Spencer's attorney, Kyle Bristow, filed suit in January against the university on behalf of Cameron Padgett, stating UC was charging too much for a planned speaking engagement on campus. The complaint called the charges for security a free speech violation.
UC agreed to a March 14 date for Spencer to speak on campus, however, that date was postponed when the lawsuit was filed.
According to the lawsuit, UC told Spencer's team the total cost would be $11,333; $500 for the room rental and $10,833 for "security costs and fees." Spencer's attorney's objected, calling UC's criteria for calculating the fee "facially unconstitutional." They requested a judgment of $2 million and a jury trial.
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