In a landmark settlement, Matthew Garrett, a former tenured history professor at Bakersfield College in California, has secured $2.4 million from the Kern Community College District (KCCD) after being dismissed for challenging the college’s social justice initiatives. Garrett’s termination over a year ago was based on accusations of “dishonesty” and “unprofessional conduct,” primarily for opposing a proposed “racial climate task force.”
Garrett, along with fellow history professor Erin Miller, had been vocal critics of the college’s spending on social justice programs. Their criticism led to a lawsuit filed over three years ago, alleging retaliation by KCCD. They claimed that their dissent was misinterpreted as baseless accusations against colleagues, suggesting misuse of grant funds. This conflict between Garrett’s Renegade Institute for Liberty and the Social Justice Institute at Bakersfield College predates the COVID-19 pandemic.
The KCCD board of trustees sided with the Social Justice Institute, with Vice President John Corkins making inflammatory remarks that implied Garrett and his colleagues were expendable, comments he later apologized for. A related First Amendment lawsuit by another Renegade Institute historian, Daymon Johnson, against KCCD’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies was allowed to proceed by a federal judge last fall, leading to an emergency meeting of the trustees with their legal counsel.
The $2.4 million settlement, dated July 10, includes a $154,520 payment to Garrett for back wages and medical benefits, followed by monthly payments of nearly $10,300 for 20 years. The agreement also mandates the withdrawal of all disciplinary actions against Garrett and the sealing of related documents in his personnel file.
Garrett announced he would withdraw from the joint federal lawsuit with Miller, who will continue her legal battle alone. He reported ongoing retaliation against Miller, including the cancellation of several of her classes. Garrett expressed satisfaction with the settlement, stating it vindicated his stance against KCCD’s actions.
“After five years of administrative misconduct, a decisive courtroom display exonerated me of all allegations and exposed that Kern Community College District engaged in flagrant retaliation for my questioning of partisan policies and wasteful expenditures,” Garrett said.
