The University of Colorado racked up $352,000 in legal fees and court costs in its investigation and ultimate firing of controversial professor Ward Churchill, CU officials said Thursday.
However, that price tag doesn’t include costs incurred in defense of pending legal action, said David Lane, Churchill’s attorney, who has sued the university claiming defamation of character.
“We will be going to trial in this case for the simple reason that Ward Churchill has basically been slandered at this point and his reputation tarnished,” Lane said. “And if we win at trial, CU can expect to pay me my attorney’s fees.
“I can bill with the best of them,” Lane said.
No hearing date has been set in the case, and CU has yet to respond to the court filing, Lane said.
CU president Hank Brown could not be reached for comment Thursday.
University spokeswoman Michele McKinney said the investigation into multiple allegations against Churchill was a “thorough yet difficult and complicated process.”
“The more than two year investigation was costly to the university,” McKinney wrote in a prepared statement. “To fully investigate charges of research misconduct against professor Churchill, and to provide him the full due process as required by Regent Law and Policy, the university had to incur costs in the areas of legal fees, investigative costs and hearings.”
Churchill, who taught ethnic studies through the fall of 2005, was fired for academic misconduct in an 8-1 decision by the Board of Regents last month.
In addition to the legal costs, CU also will pay Churchill a year’s salary of $93,000.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
