The state Ethics Commission on Friday delayed a decision on whether the University of Southern Mississippi was wrong when it denied the Hattiesburg American’s request for information on a $112,500 settlement the school made with a former graduate assistant.
The newspaper in October filed a public records request with USM seeking documents related to USM’s settlement with Colleen Speaker, a former women’s tennis graduate assistant.
The university refused to provide any documents for two reasons:
- They fall under the category of attorney-client privilege.
- Releasing the documents could violate a student privacy law that could cost USM its federal funding.
The American in October appealed the decision to the Ethics Commission.
Read more in the Hattiesburg American.