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Jury rules for Florida Atlantic University in the case of fired professor James Tracy

Posted at 3:50 PM, Dec 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-12 08:19:23-05

A federal jury has ruled in favor of Florida Atlantic University in a dispute with a former professor.

Doctor James Tracy alleged that the university fired him and violated his free speech rights because of a blog post about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

In that blog, Tracy claimed it never happened and was staged to promote gun control.

The university maintained it fired Tracy because he did not properly disclose outside employment, even when that included unpaid work related to his personal blog.

Following the ruling, Tracy refused to comment. However, one of his attorneys maintained FAU retaliated against Tracy for exercising his First Amendment rights. "And he was unlawfully terminated. And we look forward to pursuing all of our options, including appeal, to protect Dr. Tracy's rights." 

Another Tracy attorney had choice words for the media: "Shame on you. Shame on you Fake News! Get some more footage. Spin it. Go ahead, spin it. Get some more shots. More headlines. Why don't you get away. Go. Give him a break. Get out of here! Get out of here! Take a walk. Take a walk, bro.  Get out of here. Presstitutes." 

Late Monday afternoon the university issued this statement:

"We are grateful for the careful consideration of the jury in this matter. The university will continue to prioritize its research mission and the education of its students. The university will make no further comment regarding this matter at this time."