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CANTON, Ohio (Aug. 31, 2022) – Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty, Co. L.P.A. (KWGD), a law firm that represented the Gibson family in the well-known Gibson’s Bakery vs. Oberlin College case, today issued the following statement regarding the Ohio Supreme Court’s refusal to accept jurisdiction of Oberlin College’s most recent appeal.
“In 2019, a Lorain County jury found Oberlin College and its dean of students liable for a devastating smear campaign aimed at the Gibsons and their 135-year-old family business. Following the unanimous verdict, the court entered judgment in favor of the Gibsons in the amount of approximately $36 million, the largest defamation verdict in Ohio history.
It was a monumental victory for small businesses. It also serves as a reminder that the truth still matters and that even those with much power and influence must be held accountable for their conduct.
Much has happened since the verdict, including the tragic deaths of David and Allyn Gibson — neither of whom lived to see the conclusion of Oberlin College’s years of appeals.
In March 2022, the Ninth District Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the judgment. Oberlin College then filed another appeal, this time with the Ohio Supreme Court. Earlier this week, the Ohio Supreme Court refused to accept jurisdiction over Oberlin College’s appeal.
The Gibson family has worked exhaustively to keep the lights on at Gibson’s Bakery in the years since the ruinous defamation, but without the relief awarded by the jury. The Ohio Supreme Court decision delivers final justice, vindication, and that much-deserved relief.”
Owen Rarric and Terry Moore
Attorneys at Law
Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty
KWGD Attorneys Rarric, Moore, Matthew Onest, and Jackie Caldwell, along with co-counsel firm Plakas Mannos, made tremendous efforts at trial in obtaining the verdict and on appeal in sustaining it.
Additional information about the case can be found on the Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty website.
About Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty Co.
Founded by the late Samuel Krugliak in 1958, Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths & Dougherty has grown in time to more than 50 attorneys practicing in more than 25 areas of law. Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, the firm also has offices in Alliance, Canfield, Hudson, Massillon, New Philadelphia, and Sugarcreek. Once again, this year, the firm was selected as one of the Top Ranked Law Firms in the United States in a special report by LexisNexis, published in U.S. News and World Reports. In addition, lawyers from the firm have been selected to the recent edition of Best Lawyers in America® and to the prestigious list of Ohio Super Lawyers ® and Ohio Rising Stars (young lawyers under 40) for the current year. The Super Lawyers® list comprises the top five percent of the lawyers in Ohio and the Rising Stars list comprises no more than 2.5% of young lawyers in the state.
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For additional information, contact:
Jim Cyphert
Director of Public Relations
Innis Maggiore
Ph: 330-501-9886
Email: jim.cyphert@innismaggiore.com