College of Charleston will pay $20,000 to settle free speech lawsuit over rejected student club

The club and its founders were represented by an anti-gay conservative nonprofit


The College of Charleston has settled a lawsuit filed by two students whose club was denied official status last year.

The public college will pay the Alliance Defending Freedom, the group representing the students, $20,000 in legal costs and attorneys' fees, according to a settlement filed in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.

The college walked back its denial and recognized the group in question, the South Carolina Politics Club, as a registered student organization (RSO) in May, according to court documents. That status is important because it allows them to access meeting rooms, funds, and other resources reserved for official clubs, the suit argued.

The College of Charleston declined to comment on the settlement, which will be paid out from the South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund.

Read more: https://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/TheBattery/archives/2019/06/05/college-of-charleston-will-pay-20000-to-settle-free-speech-lawsuit-over-rejected-student-club

Bad news that an SPLC designated hate group received recognition as a RSO.