October 31, 2023 |
Photo – Wyoming Student Union – Courtesy University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming signed a consent order on Friday, bringing to a close the Wyoming Student Union tabling lawsuit brought forward by Todd Schmidt nearly year after Schmidt displayed the name of a transgender student at his table in the student union.
The student has received nationwide media attention and has been named in lawsuits over his high-profile admission to a campus sorority.
A UW news release states the university’s side of resolving the lawsuit it was likely to lose. “The University of Wyoming has agreed to the terms of a consent order that will resolve a lawsuit filed by Todd Schmidt regarding a one-year suspension of his tabling privileges in the Wyoming Union, if the order is approved by U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal,” a UW news release states about the matter.
“Under the terms of the proposed order, UW will continue to refrain from enforcing a prior tabling ban on Schmidt and will not censor Schmidt’s views on the sexual identity of a transgender student, in accordance with a preliminary injunction issued by Freudenthal earlier this year.”
The university was on the brink of losing the case and accepted the judge’s deal to avoid even bigger penalties by settling at this point.
The university will reimburse a portion of Schmidt’s attorney’s fees, totaling $35,000, but no other payments will be made to the plaintiff. This is part of the deal crafted by the judge. The arrangement also forbids Schmidt from suing UW Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Ryan O’Neil in her individual capacity or for monetary damages.
Throughout the legal battle, UW argued that it had a right to regulate activities within the Wyoming Union breezeway. The court, however, ultimately found that the conduct displayed by Schmidt last December was not unlawful harassment.
