Dive Brief:
- Pasadena City College’s decision to disinvite Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black as its commencement speaker earlier this year cost $26,050.
- The college had rescinded its invitation to Black after images of him from a stolen sex tape were posted online.
- After Black said he was considering suing the college, his alma mater, the school’s trustees apologized and re-invited him, and he was paid the $26,050 to not pursue future legal claims, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Dive Insight:
According to the Times, it’s not clear if the trustees ever voted to approve the payoff — the settlement agreement was signed in March by Black, followed by then-president Mark Rocha on May 8. Rocha departed in July. Black spoke at the May 9th graduation and was paid $3,000 for his speech. Besides writing scripts for movies, Black is a leading LGBT activist. He graduated from Pasadena in 1994. The president of the college’s Academic Senate called the payment a “complete misuse of public funds.”