University of Colorado seeks to recover more than $52,000 from fired professor Ward Churchill

CU seeks more than $52,000 from fired professor

BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado is seeking to recover funds it spent fighting a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a professor who was fired on plagiarism charges after he likened some Sept. 11 terrorist attack victims to a Nazi leader.

CU filed its bill for more than $52,000 in court last week.

The school faced pressure to fire professor Ward Churchill over an essay in which he likened some Sept. 11 terrorism victims to a Nazi who helped orchestrate the Holocaust. University officials concluded it was constitutionally protected expression.

However, Churchill was fired in 2007 after a review of his other work concluded he had plagiarized.

A Denver jury ruled in April that CU unlawfully fired Churchill but awarded him only $1 in damages. His lawyer has said he plans to appeal a judge’s ruling denying Churchill reinstatement at CU.

Information from: Daily Camera, www.dailycamera.com/