ROCK HILL, S.C. — A former university president in South Carolina has dropped her lawsuit against the school where she was fired after less than a year on the job.
The Herald of Rock Hill reported the Winthrop University Board of Trustees issued a statement Monday saying former President Jamie Comstock Williamson dropped her lawsuit.
Williamson sued after she was fired by the Rock Hill university in June 2014, after 11 months in the post.
The board said she was terminated, in part, because she misled trustees about the hiring of her husband, Larry, in the president’s office; communication with students about fee increases; and a salary review process.
Williamson said she was fired “without cause” and sought damages for what she alleged was a breach of contract.
Winthrop and Williamson entered into mediation in the fall of 2014, but that failed to produce a settlement.
The South Carolina Ethics Commission determined in February 2015 that there was probable cause Williamson had violated three sections of the State Ethics Act, which she acknowledged in a November consent order.
A four-day arbitration hearing was scheduled to start Tuesday in Spartanburg. Williamson’s attorney notified the university Monday that she was dropping her lawsuit.
Winthrop hired Daniel Mahony as Williamson’s replacement.
