LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The University of Louisville will pay $1.6 million in a settlement with a former professor.
Dr. Allan Josephson sued the university, saying he was demoted, harassed and ultimately fired for speaking out against gender transitions for kids. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court decision last September, saying public university officials can be held personally liable for censoring or retaliating against professors who express differing viewpoints.
According to the appellate court ruling, the lawsuit centered around comments Josephson made on a panel discussion on childhood gender dysphoria with the Heritage Foundation, the public policy group in Washington most recently recognized for its publishing of Project 2025 in the leadup to the 2024 presidential election.
"... Josephson has shown that he engaged in protected speech when he spoke as part of the Heritage Foundation panel," the appellate court wrote in its opinion. "Defendants should have known that Josephson’s speech was protected and that retaliating against Josephson for his speech would violate his First Amendment rights. Therefore, Defendants are not entitled to qualified immunity."
UofL then agreed to pay the $1.6 million settlement to Josephson in damages and attorney's fees.
"I’m glad to finally receive vindication for voicing what I know is true," Josephson said in a news release Tuesday from the Alliance Defending Freedom. "Children deserve better than life-altering procedures that mutilate their bodies and destroy their ability to lead fulfilling lives. In spite of the circumstances I suffered through with my university, I’m overwhelmed to see that my case helped lead the way for other medical practitioners to see the universal truth that altering biological sex is impossibly dangerous while acceptance of one’s sex leads to flourishing."
To read the appeals court ruling, click here.
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