Former professor suing Upstate University after being fired

Court proceedings began Thursday for a former professor at an Upstate University who is challenging his termination in court. Chris Healy was longtime professor at Furman until he was fired, earlier this year.

That decision came after photos surfaced on social media in 2022 that showed Healy at the Unite The Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. The rally turned violent and one person was killed and others were injured. Healy was fired after his presence at the rally was discovered and made public.

However, leaders at Furman say Healy was was fired for discriminatory grading practices towards minority students. Healy is challenging that notion saying that prior to that he never received a complaint about his grading in his tenure at the school.

Healy is suing Furman for defamation and breach of trust. Thursday's court proceedings will determine whether specific university leaders can be named as defendants.