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A former Michigan Tech student who was expelled following a social media post has been compensated with $42, 381 as part of the lawsuit settlement.
MLive.com reports that Norway, MI resident Matthew Schultz was refunded the $27,881 he paid to the university and $14,500 for “other expenses” related to Schultz’s time at Michigan Tech.
He was expelled from the university after an online post on the social media app Yik Yak caused a backlash in November of 2015.
The post read “Gonna shoot all the black people…… A smile tomorrow” followed by a smiley face.
Schultz was arrested for domestic terrorism, a 20-year felony, but was then charged with disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor, which was eventually dropped.
His disciplinary record at Michigan Tech was also cleared, although the university reports that he will not return to MTU.
The lawsuit accused university officials of failing to reveal that they received two versions of Schultz’s posts–the original and another version altered by another person that left out the words “A smile tomorrow” and the emoji.
The settlement agreement was signed in June with the approval of U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist.
Schultz released all claims against the university and those involved in the case as a condition of the settlement.
Read the full article on MLive.com.
