Assistant Professor Joseph Mead settled a lawsuit brought on behalf of school teacher Keith Allison, whose annual teaching contract renewal was cancelled based on his outside-of-work commentary on dairy agriculture.  The settlement resolves a federal lawsuit filed by Professor Mead which contended that the school district’s speech-based retaliation violated Mr. Allison’s First Amendment rights.  In a statement, Professor Mead explained: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement that upholds the First Amendment rights of public school teachers, such as Keith Allison.  The settlement vindicates Keith for his Facebook post and affirms the school district’s obligation to permit its employees to freely express their opinions on community concerns outside of work.”  Professor Mead volunteered to represent Mr. Allison in cooperation with the ACLU of Ohio to ensure that the First Amendment rights of public employees like school teachers are protected.

Additional information about Professor Mead’s representation of Mr. Allison can be found here.