A judge on Thursday ordered Texas Tech to provide Chaired Professor in Information Technology James Wetherbe, Ph.D. with its highest honor – a horn professorship.
Wetherbe filed more than one lawsuit starting in 2012. Wetherbe claimed Senior Associate Dean of the Rawls College of Business Administration, Debra Laverie, Ph.D., falsely accused him of using a listening device inside the school.
Wetherbe claimed the false rumors were intended to sour his ability to apply for the job of Dean. He also claimed it was meant as retaliation because he used his rights of free speech to speak out against tenure for university professors.
In one particular lawsuit, Texas Tech was a defendant and according to court records failed to meet a deadline for a written response.
Once Texas Tech missed a filing deadline Wetherbe’s attorney, Fernando Bustos, asked a judge to issue a default judgment. So, on Thursday that’s exactly what State District Judge Ruben Reyes did.
Reyes ordered Texas Tech to stop violating Wetherbe’s right of free speech, and promote him to the rank of Horn Professor. TTU was also ordered to pay Wetherbe’s court costs and attorney fees.
“We’re confident it won’t stand,” said TTU spokesman Chris Cook.
Cook could not say specifically what the university’s next step would be in court, but he said one way or another Tech would ask for the judgment to be overturned.