ELYRIA, Ohio — A jury has awarded $11 million to a father and son who claimed Ohio’s Oberlin College and an administrator hurt their business and libeled them during a dispute that triggered protests and allegations of racism following a shoplifting incident.
The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports a Lorain County jury Friday awarded David Gibson $5.8 million, son Allyn Gibson $3 million and Gibson’s Bakery $2.2 million. An attorney said the Gibsons just wanted “the truth to come out.”
Attorneys for the college and a spokesman declined comment Friday.
The protests occurred after Allyson Gibson, who is white, confronted a black student who’d shoplifted a bottle of wine. Two other black students joined in and assaulted Gibson.
The students pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and read statements in court saying Gibson’s actions weren’t racially motivated.
