Jury Finds Spartanburg Community College Unlawfully Fired Professor of 24 Years

A jury has found that Spartanburg Community College unlawfully interfered with the rights of a professor who was terminated in 2023, awarding him damages after a trial that concluded this week.

The verdict was returned in favor of Chipley Bennett, who had worked at the college for 24 years before his firing. Jurors determined the institution’s actions in ending his employment violated legal protections, resulting in a financial award. The precise sum was not publicly disclosed, though reports described the award as reaching into the thousands of dollars.

Bennett’s case drew considerable attention given his tenure length and the circumstances of the termination. He alleged the college unlawfully interfered with protected rights in the course of his firing, and the jury agreed with that characterization. The verdict applies to the college as an institution; individual defendants were not identified in publicly available case information.

The outcome comes alongside a separate jury verdict in favor of a K-12 educator elsewhere in the region who was also found to have been improperly dismissed. The back-to-back verdicts have drawn attention from education and employment law observers in the state, though the cases involve distinct facts and claims.

Spartanburg Community College has not issued a public statement in response to the verdict. The college is a two-year public institution serving students across Spartanburg and surrounding counties. Its board and legal counsel have not indicated whether an appeal is planned.

Bennett’s attorneys confirmed the verdict outcome but did not release additional details. No hearing for post-trial motions has been publicly scheduled as of Monday.