A former teacher who won a $303,178 jury verdict against Colordo Springs School District 11 has reached an out-of-court settlement with school officials over his federal race discrimination lawsuit.

The settlement – for an undisclosed amount of money – was finalized Thursday in U.S. District Court in Denver. It ended a lawsuit brought in 2007 by George Christopher Ash, a former teacher at North Middle School and Doherty High School.

On Sept. 24, following a four-day trial, a federal court jury found in favor of Ash, who claimed he was passed over for teaching jobs because he is black. The jury verdict included $150,000 in punitive damages and $100,000 in non-economic damages plus back pay.

The settlement averted a second trial before the judge on the issue of whether Ash also was entitled to damages for his future salary.

It also ended appeals that attorneys for the school district had planned to file, seeking to overturn the verdict. Instead, the verdict was vacated as part of the settlement.

Ash’s lawyer Andrew T. Brake welcomed the settlement. He described it “a wonderful thing” when a case that has gone from a lawsuit to a verdict can be resolved “so that everyone can get on with their lives.”

A school district spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.

In the lawsuit, Ash claimed that when he applied for a social studies teaching job at North, the position instead went to a less qualified white teacher.

When Ash’s job teaching night school at Doherty ended, he was not offered a contract renewal. In both instances, Ash said administrators told him he was “not a good fit.”

Lawyers for the school district countered that when Ash was first hired as a substitute teacher in 2004, he knew the job was temporary. The job ended during a period of budget cuts in which the principal had to eliminate two and a half teaching positions.

The district also argued that both Ash and the other candidate for the social studies job were qualified, but noted that the other teacher had more seniority.

For more court coverage, visit “The Sidebar” blog at gazettedev.gazette.com.

Staff Sgt. Jose Gonzales carries an injured soldier to an awaiting ambulance Thursday while taking the test down range at Fort Carson for the Expert Field Medical Badge. Soldiers must pass 11 of 14 tactical combat casualty care tasks, complete 10 of 13 warrior skills tasks and execute 10 evacuation tasks within a tight time frame. Last year’s pass rate was 18 percent and this year after the first day of field training the field had been narrowed from 187 to 104. The testing lasts six days. Photo by CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

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