Southside Board Trustee, Alma Guzman, has settled her claim against the Southside Independent School District.  I previously wrote about her lawsuit here, here, here and here.  Ms. Guzman lost her trial regarding the retaliation claim, earlier this year.  Her other claim for sex discrimination had been dismissed by the judge.  After the trial, she appealed to the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.  As I explained earlier, her settlement offers were way too high.  And, based on the court’s decision, it sounded to me like her evidence for retaliation was weak.  

So, if the employee is appealing to the Fifth Circuit, a notoriously pro-employer venue, why would the board settle with her, at all?  The chances of her winning her appeal were less than ten percent, according to one recent study.  And, hers was a judge trial.  The opportunities for judicial errors go way down when the judge is the ultimate fact-finder.  The answer is beyond me.  But, political cases are very hard to predict.   See San Antonio Express News report