Georgia University System settles LGBTQ retaliation lawsuit at Ga Southern for $250,000

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Georgia Department of Administrative Services has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former Georgia Southern University employee who said she was fired after opposing decisions affecting LGBTQ students.

The Georgia Department of Administrative Services will pay the settlement to Gemma Skuraton, the university’s former director of student wellness and health promotion.

Both sides agreed to the settlement, and both deny any wrongdoing.

Allegations in the lawsuit

Skuraton sued the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and one of the university’s vice presidents. She accused them of violating her First Amendment and Title IX rights and retaliating against her.

According to the lawsuit, Skuraton objected after the university rejected a proposal to provide free chest binders to students.

A chest binder is a compression garment that flattens the chest, often used by transgender or gender-nonconforming individuals.

She alleged the VP later accused her of encouraging student protests and media attention before firing her in July 2025.

Artur Davis, Skuraton’s attorney, said, “None of that happened and it’s unfortunate that instead of questioning Gemma Skuraton to ask her side of the story, an effective decision was made to assume that this employee who cared very deeply about Georgia Southern was somehow acting to undermine the institution.”

Davis said Skuraton received outstanding evaluations throughout her career. “No one’s ever questioned her job performance,” Davis said. “Usually in employment discrimination cases, we’re defending our clients from allegations that they weren’t very good employees. Gemma Skuraton got outstanding evaluations, outstanding reviews, but her job was taken away from her.”

Terms of the settlement

The settlement resolves the lawsuit but does not mean a court found the university violated her rights. Instead, both sides agreed to resolve the case without continuing it in court.

Davis said, “That’s not the game plan to end up paying a dean’s salary to someone who was an $80,000 a year employee. That means you got something wrong and your game plan didn’t work. That is a lesson, and we think that lesson is hopefully one that’s heard across the state of Georgia and heard at other universities.”

Under the agreement, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services will pay $144,365.36 to Skuraton for damages and $105,634.36 to her attorneys for legal fees and expenses. The document identifies the total settlement as $250,000.

The Board of Regents also agreed to change Skuraton’s termination to a voluntary resignation, remove her termination letter from her personnel file where allowed by law, and provide her with a neutral reference letter.

Davis said, “So getting this case over with on favorable terms and being able to tell her story and the result in the light of day is going to make a difference for the rest of her career. She is going to have an opportunity now to get back to the work that she loves.”

Skuraton must permanently dismiss the lawsuit within five days of receiving the settlement money.

“Gemma Skuraton lost a job, but she kept her moral compass,” Davis said.

Davis said Skuraton plans to continue working in higher education. “She wants to go back to being a difference maker,” Davis said. “She loves university life, and she loves the work of surveying the student populations.”

The University System of Georgia has not yet responded to a request for comment.