Iowa State pays, praises ex-director to end Lego art dispute
Three years later, the school has withdrawn its allegations against
Those steps end a dispute that derailed the unique
McLaughlin said she wants to restore her reputation, which she believes was unfairly sullied by her alma mater. She said the university made claims of wrongdoing against her without evidence and while in possession of records that exonerated her.
She said the dispute hurt her finances and "took a great toll on me and my family."
"I did not think
The university does not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, which avoided a June trial.
McLaughlin envisioned the sculptures as a way to draw visitors to
McLaughlin stepped down as gardens director in 2014 to become director of Nature Connects. Dozens of institutions from
But by 2016, an aide to
Emails show that a top aide to then-President
A school-ordered restructuring then laid off McLaughlin's assistant and transferred oversight of the program's finances to the administration. Kenney began complaining that the university took away support that was critical to making the exhibits successful and wasn't paying him what he was promised. A frustrated McLaughlin announced she would take an early retirement but agreed to stay a few months to finalize several pending sales. Things soon got worse.
She received a surprise letter from a law firm hired by
McLaughlin said the claims were false, noting that
On the bench honoring her, McLaughlin has asked the school to enshrine a
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