Oberlin College to Pay $36M to Bakery Over Racism Claims

Facts

Oberlin College, a liberal arts institution located southwest of Cleveland, Ohio, has agreed to pay $36.59M to local bakery Gibson's over claims of false accusations of racism against the shop.
The libel case began in 2016 when a white bakery employee caught a Black student shoplifting two bottles of wine, chasing him into the street. Hundreds of Oberlin's students and several administrators, including the dean, later gathered in protests outside the bakery, alleging racism.
Leaflets were also printed by students that alleged the bakery was, "[a] racist establishment with a long account of racial profiling and discrimination." In 2019, a court found the school guilty of libel.
The figure of $36.59M reportedly represents "accumulated interest" as well as awarded compensatory and punitive damages - which were put at $44M in the original judgement. Although the college tried to appeal the result, the Ohio Supreme Court denied this request on Aug. 30.
Lorna Gibson, wife of the late David Gibson who initially filed the complaint, has reflected on how the case has impacted her family's business, saying that incoming freshmen to the college of about 3K students "have been brainwashed to hate" Gibson's bakery since 2016.
Gibson has also previously commented that she intends to use any compensation to fund maintenance and equipment for the bakery.

Right narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. An independent family business was almost destroyed by false accusations of racism made by this woke institution, and, even after the Gibson family members were vindicated at trial, Oberlin continued to discriminate against them. This is a victory for independent businesses against powerful bullies and serves as an example to other liberal academia who play the name-and-shame game.
Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. This result isn't a vindication - it has only shown that colleges should fear taking up their students' causes, and that the First Amendment isn't as protective of protest as many think. The courts have held Oberlin accountable for "publishing" claims made in student flyers, thereby setting a legal precedent that could see students' free speech put in jeopardy as schools across America reckon with their apparent liability.