Manweller settles lawsuit with CWU over firing for $155K
Apr 2, 2019, 2:24 PM
Former Washington State Representative and CWU professor Matt Manweller. (Washington House Republicans)
(Washington House Republicans)
Former Washington State Rep. Matt Manweller has settled a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer, Central Washington University, for $155,000.
The settlement falls short of the more than $2 million Manweller initially sought in damages.
RELATED: Fired state rep refutes sexual misconduct allegations
The Northwest News Network reports that the university is not admitting any liability and will not pay Manweller’s attorney fees. The settlement was dismissed with prejudice, which means that it is the final ruling on the matter.
Manweller was a tenured professor until Central Washington University fired him in August 2018. The firing followed a workplace investigation that concluded he had “engaged in a pattern of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior” with female students over a 13-year period.
Following the report, additional news broke in September 2018 alleging that Manweller had a relationship with a 17-year-old girl he initially met as a student at a school he worked at in the 1990s. That student, now an adult, related her story to news outlets about how she met the man when she attended Wood River High School in Hailey, Idaho. She says they began a sexual relationship when she was 17, and he was in his late 20s.
He denied the allegations and continued to campaign for re-election. Manweller, however, told voters that he would resign after being re-elected and that they should still vote for him. This way, a Democrat would not be appointed in his place.
