Board members met with CSU attorneys behind closed doors this morning to hear the latest information in both lawsuits. Though juries have ruled in favor of both of the plaintiffs, the cases are once again pending, after Fresno State appealed the verdicts.
Stacy Johnson Klein was originally awarded more than $19 million dollars by a Fresno County Jury, back in December. But earlier this year she agreed to accept $6 point 6 million, after a judge ruled that verdict was excessive.
Lindy Vivas also agreed to accept a lesser award of $4 and a half million dollars, after originally being awarded nearly $6 million.
Fresno State attorneys did not agree to the lesser verdicts, but the chair of the CSU board of trustees said she is hopeful settlements can be reached soon.
Roberta Achtenberg, CSU Board Chair: "The trustees have been informed of the Fresno situation and briefed on it regularly at every meeting and sometimes in between meetings. We are very anxious for these cases to be resolved as quickly as possible. We want to settle them in a way that is fair to all concerned and we are hopeful we're approaching that time that a settlement can be reached."
During Tuesday afternoon's open session, the board was presented with a complete litigation report, that showed 50 percent of cases are settled before going to trial, and of those that do go to trial, the CSU system wins the majority.
Among those in attendance is Dr. Pete Mehas, who was recently confirmed as a new CSU Board Member. Dr. John Welty is here for the open session of the meeting, as well as presidents from other universities.
He declined to comment on the pending litigation Tuesday afternoon.
