Expelled Student Wins Appeal in Florida Court

(CN) - A Florida college student who was expelled for allegedly doctoring his admissions and registration records was denied a fair hearing, a state appeals court ruled.

Brian Morris was in the middle of his second semester as a law student at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) when he was expelled for having "fabricated admissions and registration records."

This action stemmed from an investigation of an assistant admissions director, who was apparently a close friend of the Morris family.

Morris appealed on the grounds that he was not given proper notice and a hearing. He did not have a chance to confront the two admissions employees whom the college fired based on the investigation.

The Daytona Beach-based Fifth District Court of Appeal sided with Morris.

"Because FAMU is a state agency subject to the provisions of the (Administrative Procedures Act), it was required to afford Morris a hearing before it expelled him as a student for fraudulent misconduct," Judge Sawaya wrote.

"We also believe that the Final Order dismissing Morris for fraudulent admission, with the clear inference that he participated in the fraud, depends on disputed facts of whether Morris knew of, or participated in, the fraudulent misconduct of the two FAMU employees," the judge added.

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