Missouri State University has agreed to pay Andrew Cash $25,000.
A former Missouri State University student who sued the school for removing him from its counseling program because he refused to counsel gay couples will now receive $25,000 from a recent settlement.
Andrew Cash filed a lawsuit against the school last year after claiming he was kicked out of the university’s master’s program for declaring he wouldn’t counsel LGBT couples because of his religious beliefs.
According to the lawsuit, Cash’s internship coordinator, Kristi Perryman, told the former student that his decision went against the American Counseling Association’s code of ethics, and that he would now be allowed to continue his internship with the Christian group Springfield Marriage and Family Institute due to “ethical concerns.”
The lawsuit says Cash was then removed from the master’s program a few months later, adding that he was “targeted and punished for expressing his Christian worldview.”
The $25,000 serves as the estimated tuition cost for Cash to get his degree at another university, and will come from the State of Missouri legal defense fund.
