Auburn professor awarded $646k in damages in speech case

Image:  A professor who accused Auburn University officials of retaliating against him for blowing the whistle on the athletics program intervening in academics prevailed in court last week—in part. An Alabama jury awarded Michael Stern $645,837 in damages, finding after a two-week trial that Stern’s former dean illegally punished him for speaking out. The jury did not agree with Stern’s similar claims against two former provosts, however. Stern, an associate professor of economics,...