Truth is the cornerstone of justice and fairness. But truth doesn’t always knock at your doorstep. Many times, it demands meticulous investigation, insatiable intellectual curiosity, and the ability to read between the lines – and the lies. The pursuit of truth in law safeguards the rights of individuals, promotes equitable outcomes, and maintains public confidence in the judicial system. Here at Plakas Mannos, commitment to the truth is essential for upholding the principles of justice and ensuring the rule of law. Attorneys Lee Plakas, Brandon McHugh, and their team did just that and more for the Gibson family in the iconic Gibson Bros. Bakery case.
In 2016, an underage attempt to buy alcohol and shoplift turned into a case of defamation that nearly ended a small family-owned bakery that had existed in the community for over 130 years. Oberlin College aided and abetted protests on false allegations of racial discrimination, aimed directly at the Gibson family, which in turn diminished their business’ success and patron support. Attorney Lee Plakas and his team worked tirelessly on this case where the verdict vindicated the Gibsons and their bakery. Lee and his team were committed to fight for the truth, for the Gibson family.
For Plakas Mannos, we not only want to achieve excellent results for our clients, but we view it as a public service to share our experiences to educate other legal professionals. The Gibson’s case has presented a perfect opportunity to do so.
Over the past few years, Attorney Plakas, with the help of litigation paralegal Elizabeth Burns, has put together an educational presentation for legal professionals interested in learning from the team’s experience working on and trying the Gibson Bros. Bakery vs. Oberlin College case. Since the record-setting verdict, this presentation has been given in multiple cities to several thousand judicial officials and attorneys. Beth and Lee have given us their thoughts looking back on lessons learned from the Gibson’s case that are reflected in their legal education seminars that have been presented throughout the state of Ohio.
Looking back now - years later, what has stuck with you about the Gibson case?
Lee Plakas:
“The overarching message of the Gibson’s case is that the trust still matters. Regardless of the size of Goliath, when David has the truth on his side, and when David arms himself with the right (in this case, the right legal) slingshot, watch out. In this case, a monolithic institution believed it could bury the truth and reputationally bulldoze a more than 130-year family business by accusing this family of something horrible – of being racists. Another family may have looked at the size of the college, the checkbook of the college, and the challenges of defamation law and decided to let it slide, even though that would have meant the ruin of their family business and their legacy. Not the Gibson family. As the family Patriarch Allyn “Grandpa” Gibson said at trial, his biggest fear was that he would die with people believing he was a racist. Because of our entire team’s perseverance, and because of the result we were able to achieve in this case, the opposite was true. The truth mattered, and at the end of the day, it came out in the form of a $44 Million verdict.”
Elizabeth Burns:
“The trial in retrospect - The cohesiveness of our team and the relationship that developed with the Gibson family as a result of the case. Our team worked tirelessly from early in the mornings to very late at night, sometimes until 1:00 – 2:00 AM in the makeshift, office/hotel conference room. I believe the fact that we were prepared and worked so well together helped the Court run an efficient trial and kept the jury engaged and interested. We were all 100% engaged and determined to do what it was going to take to help the jury and the Court understand who the Gibson family really was and how wrong the college got it. To this day, I talk with Lorna Gibson several times a month and have dinner with her occasionally. She has become a very good friend.”
Why have you devoted so much of your time to teaching other lawyers and judges the Gibson Trial’s lessons?
Lee Plakas:
“I repeatedly remind our team that Aristotle is credited with saying ‘You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’ Even though I have been practicing law for 50 years, I know that in order to achieve excellence, I need to make excellence a habit. One way to do that is, after every significant case, to take the time to evaluate what went well, and what we could improve upon if given another opportunity in another case. Even in a case with a historic $44 Million verdict, there are lessons that can be learned. One of my goals with our Gibson’s Bros. Bakery Seminars was to share the lessons our team learned with other judges and practitioners for the betterment of the legal profession.”
What have been some of the reactions to the Trial and CLE courses?
Lee Plakas:
“The continued legal and public interest in this case has been unwavering in the more than six years since our verdict. In addition to our interview with CBS’s Ted Koppel, which was aired on national network television, we have been invited to present on the Gibson’s case across the state of Ohio, and even outside of the state. In October of 2023, I was asked to travel to Pennsylvania to present at a Pittsburgh Trial Lawyers event that was attended by more than 200 lawyers and judges, most of whom we had never met, at the beautiful Nemacolin Woodlands resort in Pennsylvania. That was an amazing experience and welcome from the Pennsylvania lawyers who hosted. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and has resulted in many thought-provoking conversations and questions.”
Elizabeth Burns:
“One common thought that I noticed was how amazed many people have been that Oberlin College wouldn’t acknowledge that the Gibsons were not racist. The college had worked with the Gibson family for over 100 years through many political and racial climates and had never felt that the Gibson family was racist but refused to provide that information to the students in order to quash the escalating emotions. Even more surprising, it seemed, was that, to this day, Oberlin College has not acknowledged that they were wrong about how they handled any of it.”
“The interest by the public, from attorney/judge groups, to media, to friends and family, over the years, the interest in how the bakery and Lorna are doing has continued to be a topic. I believe that a large part of the interest stems from the fact that Oberlin College has never, and doesn’t seem to be interested anytime soon, in acknowledging that they could have resolved all of this by simply stepping back and looking at the facts before supporting the students. A relationship of more than 100 years with the Gibson family didn’t seem to resonate at all with the administration during the time of the student protests. If they had only communicated to the students that the Gibson family had NEVER been known to be racially biased, this case would, more than likely, never have happened.”
How is the message of Gibson’s trial relevant to future cases?
Lee Plakas:
“The truth mattered in 2016 when the Gibson’s case started. It mattered in 2019 when we won the Gibson’s family a $44 Million verdict. It matters today, and it will matter tomorrow. No matter the size of the obstacle, the truth, coupled with the will to fight for it and a legal team who believes in the cause, will win.”
Elizabeth Burns:
“The trial in retrospect: It doesn’t matter how many attorneys you have on the other side, or how large their firms are, the truth, and the facts, worked up by a brilliant team that cares about their clients, will ultimately prevail.”
“The CLE course: The College’s misinterpretation of freedom of speech which led to libel and defamation was challenged in this David vs. Goliath case. This case will force the defense attorneys to re-evaluate their approach and acknowledge that large institutions are not always justified in their actions. Truth is the truth, and the truth is going to come to light."
Plakas Mannos Is Committed to Defending the Truth
For Plakas Mannos, achieving excellent results for our clients goes hand in hand with public service, as we aim to educate fellow legal professionals by sharing our experiences. The Gibson's case provides an ideal platform for this endeavor. In addition to achieving excellent results and providing public service, Plakas Mannos demonstrated an unwavering commitment to truth throughout the Gibson's case. By prioritizing truth, Plakas Mannos’ team not only secured a life-changing outcome for the Gibson family but also played our part in upholding the integrity of the legal system.
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