UBC must pay fired author Steven Galloway $167,000 for privacy violation
VANCOUVER — The University of British Columbia must pay novelist Steven Galloway $167,000 in damages for making statements that violated his privacy rights and harmed his reputation when it suspended and later fired him as its creative writing chairman.
The faculty association that represented Galloway says the amount is well above the typical award of $500 to $10,000 in similar cases.
A labour arbitration decision released by the university on Friday also says the association withdrew its claim for Galloway’s reinstatement, as well as claims for his lost income and benefits, in February.
“Consequently, the issue of whether the university had cause to dismiss the (Galloway) was no longer contested as part of the arbitration,” says the decision written by arbitrator John B. Hall.