Judge dismisses former baseball player’s lawsuit against UGA – Red and Black
On Sept. 30, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against the University of Georgia and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia brought by former Bulldogs baseball player Adam Sasser.
The suit came in response to Sassers permanent release from the UGA baseball team and suspension from campus following an incident that took place at the Georgia-Tennessee football game in Sanford Stadium on Sept. 29, 2018. Spectators filmed and saw Sasser, who is white, in the UGA student section using a racial slur directed at then backup quarterback for Georgia, Justin Fields, who is Black.
The defendants in the lawsuit are listed as the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the University of Georgia, Jere Morehead, both individually and as president of UGA, the UGA Equal Opportunity Office, Eryn Janyce Dawkins, both individually and as director of defendant UGA EOO, the UGA Athletic Association, Edward McMillian Tate, both individually and as Chancellor of Legal Affairs for UGA, and C. Dean Alford, both individually and as a member of Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
The ruling states that Counts I, II, III, IV, V and VII, of Sassers second amended complaint, as well Sasser's breach of contract claims against the individual defendants, are dismissed with prejudice, meaning Sasser can not re-file these claims again in court. The ruling for count VI does allow Sasser to re-file this claim but only at the state level and not in federal court, where the original lawsuit was filed.
Count I, which was brought against all defendants, concerned Sassers right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment which guarantees freedom of expression and the 14th Amendment which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws as well as due process of law.
Count II regarded Sassers procedural and substantive due process granted by the 14th Amendment and was brought against all defendants.
Count III was brought against the individual defendants in a personal capacity and regarded individual liability Free Speech clause violation. Ultimately, it stated that Sassers removal from the UGA baseball team and other sanctions that were imposed on him had no rational basis because at the time of the incident he didnt pose a threat to himself or others.
Count IV was also brought against all defendants in a personal capacity and regarded procedural and substantive due process. Additionally, it alleged denial of interest in his education by defendants, as well as denial of right to be heard by defendants.
Count V regarded deprivation of equal protection granted in the 14th Amendment and re-alleged and incorporated all previous allegations while challenging the UGA Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harrassment Policy.
Count VI, the only count Sasser can further pursue at the state level, regards breach of contract and alleges that the UGA student handbook and student athletic handbook establish a binding agreement between the Defendants and each UGA student, and alleges that the defendants failed to follow these binding procedures.
Count VII was brought against all defendants and regarded Declaratory Relief and Injunction, realleging all previous counts. Additionally, it alleged that all defendants have committed multiple violations of federal and state law and caused irreversible damage to the plaintiffs future career and employment prospects.
On Sept. 29, 2020, Sasser, who was originally listed in the lawsuit under the name John Doe until he was ordered to file an amended complaint identifying himself by name, filed the federal suit in Georgias Northeast District Court.
He alleged suffering due to extensive damages as the Defendants and UGA Athletic Association caused severe damages, including but not limited to employment damage and thus monetary damages, states the lawsuit.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleged that the defendants and its agents are responsible for depriving Sasser of his constitutional rights under the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment.
The lawsuit states that on Oct. 4, 2018, Dawkins issued findings and sanctions, including suspending Sasser for the remainder of the Fall 2018 semester.
According to the lawsuit, on Oct. 9, 2018, Dawkins revised the sanctions, permitting Sasser to attend classes remotely, but prohibiting him from participating in UGA athletics, attending any UGA home games until Jan. of 2020 and from entering UGA campus, unless given permission by the EOO.
Additionally, the suit states that Sasser was unable to attend all of his classes remotely because he needed his professors permission to do so and it was not possible for all of the classes he was enrolled in.
The rest is here:
Judge dismisses former baseball player's lawsuit against UGA - Red and Black
- Here Is Why Harvard Argues That Trump's Funding Freeze Violates the First Amendment - Reason Magazine - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Thankfully, Larry David mocks Bill Maher First Amendment News 467 - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- No, Gov. Lombardo, nobody was being paid to exercise First Amendment rights - Reno Gazette Journal - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Letter from the Editor: The First Amendment shaped my time on the Hill - WKUHerald.com - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Analysis: Pro-Hamas speech is protected by the First Amendment - Free Speech Center - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Who Will Fight for the First Amendment? Protecting Free Expression at a Critical Time - - Center for Democracy and Technology - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- What the Doxxing of Student Activists Means For the First Amendment - The Progressive - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Does Gov. Landrys bid to restrict attorney advertising violate the First Amendment? - Baton Rouge Business Report - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Harvard invokes First Amendment in US lawsuit over academic control - Times of India - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Fun with the First Amendment: Why Sarah Palins lawyers are happy, and why Deborah Lipstadt isnt - Media Nation - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- The First Amendment Is Being Rewritten in Real Time - Rewire News Group - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Criminalizing the Assertion of First Amendment Rights - Law.com - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Massachusetts First Amendment case: Harmony Montgomerys custody hearing audio to be released - Boston Herald - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Harvard, Trump and the First Amendment: Will Others Follow Suit? - Law.com - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Executive Watch: The breadth and depth of the Trump administrations threat to the First Amendment First Amendment News 465 - FIRE | Foundation for... - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Rising Wave of Funders and PSOs Stand Up for the First Amendment Freedom to Give - Inside Philanthropy - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Clear commands of First Amendment precedent: Trump-appointed judge rejects government motion to stay court order allowing Associated Press back into... - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Distinguished lecture series on First Amendment at URI adds Visiting Professors of Practice Rhody Today - The University of Rhode Island - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Everything starts with a voice: Understanding the First Amendment - The Tack Online - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- This is an all-out war on the First Amendment - mronline.org - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- The lost right in the first amendment - The Tack Online - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Zero-tolerance laws on Tennessee school shooting threats raise First Amendment worries - The Tennessean - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Federal Judge Orders White House to Restore Access to AP, Citing First Amendment - Democracy Now! - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Does the First Amendment apply to the students in Texas who had their visas revoked? - Fort Worth Star-Telegram - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Guest Column: Detention of Tufts Student a Brazen Attack on the First Amendment - The Bedford Citizen - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- KU students protest for First Amendment rights - The Washburn Review - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Trackergate: The First Amendment Fights Back as Schieve and Hartung Face the Music - Nevada Globe - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- A friend's wedding, the First Amendment - Delta Democrat-Times - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Judge rules against White House in AP's First Amendment case - newscentermaine.com - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- UMass Amherst library hosts webinar on the First Amendment and book banning - Massachusetts Daily Collegian - April 12th, 2025 [April 12th, 2025]
- Kansas Statehouse clownery has torn First Amendment to shreds. Who will tape it back together? - Kansas Reflector - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Is Mahmoud Khalil protected by the First Amendment? - CNN - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- D.C. Media's Gridiron Dinner Features A Toast To The First Amendment --- And Not To The President - Deadline - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Mayors Threat to Close Miami Cinema Over No Other Land Screening Condemned by Film Groups as First Amendment Violation - Yahoo - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- TSA Screeners' Union Sues the Trump Administration for Violating Its First Amendment Rights - Reason - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Kevin McCabe: Why defending the First Amendment means protecting the Second - Must Read Alaska - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Murder the Truth explores the campaign against the First Amendment - The Washington Post - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- The Trump-Musk Administration Is Running Out of Ways to Ignore the First Amendment - Balls & Strikes - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- From Gods to Google: DU Law Professor Sounds Alarm Over First Amendment and Technology Regulation - University of Denver Newsroom - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Intimidating abridgments and political stunts First Amendment News 461 - Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Opinion | The Khalil case is a threat to First Amendment rights - The Washington Post - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Fallout from campus protests sparks debate on limits of the First Amendment - Spectrum News - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Troy Carico: Stabbing the First Amendment in the back in Alabama | - 1819 News - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Donald Trump Is Tearing Up The First Amendment - HuffPost - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Sorry Mahmoud Khalil, Aliens Do Not Have the Same First Amendment Rights as American Citizens - Immigration Blog - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- BREAKING: Bill Nye to headline annual Loyolan First Amendment Week - Los Angeles Loyolan - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Spokane and Bonner county sheriff's offices can no longer hide or delete critical Facebook comments after First Amendment concerns, judges rule - The... - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Paula Rigano: Last time I checked, the First Amendment still stood - GazetteNET - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Trump is using antisemitism as a pretext for a war on the first amendment | Judith Levine - The Guardian - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Professor Can Continue with First Amendment Claim Over Denial of Raise for Including Expurgated Slurs on Exam - Reason - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Free Mahmoud Khalil and protect students exercising their First Amendment rights! - MoveOn's petitions - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Guy Ciarrocchi: The lesson from Covid the experts hate our First Amendment - Broad + Liberty - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Trump Administration Faces Growing Backlash Over First Amendment Concerns and Threats to Free Speech - Arise News - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- The Lobby, Mahmoud Khalil & the First Amendment - Consortium News - March 18th, 2025 [March 18th, 2025]
- Expressive Discrimination: Universities' First Amendment Right to Affirmative Action Part 2 - Reason - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Inside Israel's Plan To Resume the War and 'Eradicate Hamas.' Plus, Trump's Press Pool Takeover Is Not an Assault on the First Amendment. - Washington... - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Expressive Discrimination: Universities' First Amendment Right to Affirmative Action - Reason - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- OPINION: Attacking the First Amendment and America's free press - Midland Daily News - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Press pool takeover drowns First Amendment - Freedom of the Press Foundation - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- First Amendment Victory! Wyoming Airport Agrees to Settlement After Rejecting PETA Ad - PETA - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Our View: Theres nothing murky about the First Amendment - Palestine Herald Press - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Ohio Universitys complicated history with the First Amendment and student expression - The New Political - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- A free press makes a country free The First Amendment protects the liberty of all - Hawaii Tribune-Herald - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Whats the First Amendment Got to Do With It? The White Houses Associated Press Ban - Law.com - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Opinion | The First Amendment Isnt on Trumps Side - The Wall Street Journal - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Trump Tries To Carve Out a First Amendment Exception for 'Fake News' - Reason - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- MTHS receives its 15th First Amendment Press Freedom Award - MLT News - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- The White House takeover of the press pool is a brazen attack on the First Amendment - MSNBC - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Donald Trump violated the First Amendment when he barred The Associated Press from the White House - The Observer - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- D.C.'s U.S. Attorney Is a Menace to the First Amendment - Reason - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Ominous Move to Strip Americans of First Amendment Rights - DCReport - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Editorial New York Daily News: A free press makes a country free The First Amendment protects the liberty of all - The Daily News Online - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Narrow Applicability Is Not the Same As Narrow Tailoring: Applying the First Amendment in First Choice Womens Resource Centers v. Platkin - The... - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- More to Every Story: First Amendment rights and public events - KREM.com - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Trumps lawsuit barred by the First Amendment, pollsters team argues - The Washington Post - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Judge orders local newspaper to remove editorial; owner says this violates First Amendment rights - WLBT - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- AP sues Trump officials over Oval Office ban, citing First Amendment - Axios - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- A free press makes a country free: The First Amendment protects the liberty of all - New York Daily News - February 27th, 2025 [February 27th, 2025]
- Ilya Shapiro is back . . . with a new book First Amendment News 458 - Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]
- People exercising their First Amendment rights aren't 'wreckers' | Letters - South Bend Tribune - February 20th, 2025 [February 20th, 2025]