St. Thomas (MN) Gives Money Away

It's been hard to not post more on the Rakofsky case with everything that has gone on: the release of transcript excerpts, the attorney withdrawal, the federal wiretapping allegation, etc., on and on.

Yesterday I found out that the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota version) has settled with Rakofsky for his "nominal" request of $5,000. Apparently, St. Thomas' insurance carrier chose to pay this amount rather than fight what everyone thinks is a frivolous lawsuit.

With all the hoopla universities and their professors make about academic freedom, you'd think one would actually fight for its faculty's right to speak out. But while the for-profit corporations and lawyers pulled out swords and shields, the University of St. Thomas and its insurance carrier ceded a small patch of territory rather than risk an additional dime defending what should be its institutional principles.

It's one thing to balance the costs of legitimate litigation and decide settling is superior to the risk. It's another to just give away thousands to someone who sues you in what many people think is a baseless SLAPP suit.

So, kids, if you need a hot new moneymaking scheme to pay off the loans, get a law school to talk about you negatively. Sue the shit out of them for libel. Profit. Don't mess around with the Washington Post, just go after the loan-backed educational institutions.

What if each of the ~40 real defendants paid Rakofsky his settlement figure of $5,000? He'd make a nice profit off the whole ordeal, right? Is this really the lesson St. Thomas wants to be teaching its students, even if it is its insurer's act?

God, if I was a current or former student, I'd be pissed. A fraction of my tuition and fees would have gone to an insurance policy that's so weak in basic principles that it paid this guy for a strike suit.