Too Little, Too Late. And More Of A Wait.

Gibson's Bakery a small family owned bakery is located in Oberlin, Ohio. You may recall in 2016 this business made the news.

If you don't the following comes from Wikipedia.

2016 shoplifting incident
On Wednesday, November 9, 2016, an underage African-American Oberlin College student and Student Assistant Treasurer,[7] Jonathan Aladin (aka Elijah Aladin), attempted to purchase a bottle of wine using a fake identification card.[6] The store clerk, Allyn D. Gibson, a son and grandson of the owners,[4] rejected the fake ID. Gibson noticed that the student was concealing two other bottles of wine inside his jacket.[8][4] According to a police report, Gibson told the student he was contacting the police, and when Gibson pulled out his phone to take a photo of the student, the student slapped it away, striking Gibson's face.[9] The student ran out of the store. Gibson followed and then grabbed and held onto the shoplifter outside the store after the shoplifter had also assaulted the store owner, David Gibson.[4] Two other students, Cecelia Whettstone and Endia Lawrence, friends of the shoplifter, joined the scuffle.[4] When the police arrived, they witnessed Gibson lying on the ground with the three students punching and kicking him.[9] The police report stated that Gibson sustained a swollen lip, several cuts, and other minor injuries.[5][10] The police arrested the students, charging all three with assault and the shoplifter with robbery as well. In August 2017, the three students pleaded guilty, stating that they believed Gibson's actions were justified and were not racially motivated.[9][11][12] Their plea deals carried no jail time in exchange for restitution, the public statement, and a promise of future good behavior.[11][13]

Fast forward to 2017.

Civil complaint
In November 2017, Gibson's Bakery filed a civil complaint against Oberlin for libel, slander, interference with business relationships, and interference with contracts in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas. Gibson's argued that the college supported the protests that damaged its reputation and that the college unlawfully broke its contract with the bakery.[9] In the complaint, the Gibson family alleged that some Oberlin College professors attended the demonstrations, joined in the chants with a bullhorn, and gave course credit to students who skipped class to attend the demonstrations. It also claimed Oberlin employees distributed boycott flyers and allowed them to be photocopied for free on school machines.[6]

The Jury comes back with its decision.

Verdict and responses
In June 2019, the jury found in favor of the Gibson family, awarding $11 million in compensatory damages, before further hearings on punitive damages and legal fees.[19]

Today is August 14, 2022 and and the Gibson family still hasn't seen one red cent.

Yes, this is older news and you're wondering what does the Gibson Bakery have to do with today's Headline.

A verdict in another large libel case came in on Friday August 12th. Former Republican Senatorial candidate Roy Moore wins libel suit vs. Senate Majority PAC.

Moore’s candidacy in Alabama was derailed after the Washington Post published a report claiming Moore made sexual advances against four teenage girls between 1977 and 1982.

As the Associated Press reported:

The lawsuit centered on one television commercial that recounted accusations against Moore in various news articles. Moore’s attorneys argued the ad, through the juxtaposition of statements, falsely claimed he solicited sex from young girls at a shopping mall, including another 14-year-old who was working as a Santa’s helper, and that resulted in him being banned from the mall.

The advertisement at issue in the lawsuit began with: “What do people who know Roy Moore say?” It followed with the statements “Moore was actually banned from the Gadsden mall … for soliciting sex from young girls” and “One he approached was 14 and working as Santa’s helper.” Both quotes cited various news articles.

“In their ad they strung quotes together to make a single statement. That’s what the jury found offensive. They got up and lied and said they didn’t intend that,” Moore’s attorney Jeff Wittenbrink said.

No criminal charges were filed against Moore, who formerly served as Alabama Supreme Court chief justice.

The jury rightly decided in Moore's favor. But, did this cost the typically safe red senate seat of Alabama to go to Jones the Democrat? My guess and it is only a guess but I would say it contributed greatly.

What is there to stop the next super pac from libeling and defaming a Republican candidate? The super pacs can always hit up their donors for more cash. And Oberlin a private institute of higher learning (Spits and laughs) sits on a huge egg nest of assets.

Moore's adversary promises to appeal. Oberlin is still at it. If you don't have to pay for your improper civil behavior there is no deterrence.

Just how long before Moore receives the compensation he is due? When will Gibson's Bakery be made whole? None of us have the answers and only God knows.

posted by Misanthropic Humanitarian at 12:00 PM

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