Settlement talks between the University of Colorado and Professor Ward Churchill have broken down. According to David Lane, Churchill’s attorney, the parties agreed on money but then CU backed out of the talks. Regent Michael Carrigan will only say that the university needs more time to learn about plagiarism charges another university lodged against Churchill nine years ago. Churchill says the charge was over a footnote in an work he assembled but did not take credit for.

Churchill denied the plagiarism allegation, telling The Associated Press it appeared that one footnote by the Dalhousie professor had been used without attribution in a publication he helped assemble, but he said it looked inadvertent, and that he had not taken credit for the work.

9 News reported the settlement amount agreed upon was between $300,000 and $400,000. Lane says if the buyout doesn’t go through, Churchill will continue to teach at CU If he’s fired, he will sue. I would bet CU’s legal fees will be more than the amount of a buyout in the event of a lawsuit. Or, put another way, a lawsuit will result in a classic case of CU cutting off its nose to spite its face.