Paige Patterson Keeps Ears to the Ground

Ben Cole has been posting excerpts from Paige Patterson's deposition in the Sherri Klouda lawsuit on the SBC Outpost weblog. A number of the excerpts are noteworthy. One in particular stands out. It is testimony in which Patterson talks about keeping his ears "to the ground." Klouda's attorney caricaturized this as listening to "gossip," but Patterson insisted that he was listening to "student discussions."

Patterson took these "discussions" so seriously that they led to Klouda's dismissal. He neglected, however, to make any notes of the "discussions" and the participants and he also failed to discuss the "discussions" with Klouda before dismissing her.

Klouda's lawsuit may have been rightfully dismissed under U.S. laws, but the final verdict will not be rendered by any human judge. I doubt that many will want to be in Patterson's shoes on that day.