Judge dismisses federal case against SU supervisors

Published Jun 29, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated Jun 29, 2012)

A three-year-old wrongful termination lawsuit against the Southern University Board of Supervisors, former SU System Interim President Kassie Freeman and board member Tony Clayton has been dismissed. The plaintiff, Joseph Cedric Shelton, was fired by the university in September 2009. The university cited budget cuts as the reason. Shelton's attorney claimed it was retaliatory. District Judge James Brady dismissed the case Wednesday; it had been under way since Monday. Defense attorneys argued that after three days of testimony from several witnesses, the plaintiff and his lawyer failed to prove their claim of retaliation by wrongful termination, and Brady agreed. SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Darren Mire says in a news release that, "While we are very happy with [the] ruling, we remain focused on rebuilding Southern University and making it stronger and viable for the future."