Appeals Court upholds findings in Emporia State lawsuit

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) – A federal appeals court has upheld findings in a long-running racial discrimination lawsuit against Emporia State University.

The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court finding that the university retaliated against Angelica Hale by not renewing her contract after she complained about racial discrimination during the 2014-2015 school year. But the court rejected Hale’s request that she be awarded more back pay than she won in in 2020.

Angelica Hale and her husband, Melvin Hale, who are Black, filed separate discrimination lawsuits in 2016.

A jury dismissed Melvin Hale’s $10 million lawsuit against five school administrators in July 2019.