A former Cherokee County School District employee's lawsuit against the district officially ended Monday when he signed the settlement paperwork on a six-figure resolution.

Fred Knowles, a former painter in the district who claimed he was fired in 2006 for political reasons, confirmed Tuesday that he agreed to settle his claims for $100,000. The out-of-court settlement was reached just moments before a jury trial was set to begin June 9 in Cherokee County Court, but neither side would talk about the details until the legal documents were signed.

The district's attorney, Andrea White, said Tuesday afternoon the agreement had not yet been executed by the district and that a copy would be made available after that happens.

Superintendent Dr. Bill James said he had not yet received the document.

While a copy of the settlement terms could not be immediately obtained Tuesday, Knowles and his attorney both confirmed it did not include any provisions for Knowles to get his job back, but it also didn't prohibit Knowles from applying for future employment within the district.

The district did not admit any wrongdoing in the agreement, attorneys confirmed, which basically states the district settled the dispute to avoid the uncertain costs of litigation.

Knowles, who is the husband of school board member Amanda Knowles, won't receive the full amount. Attorney fees and out-ofpocket expenses for pressing the lawsuit will leave him with a little more than half the settlement amount, he confirmed. He estimated he'd spent $10,000 to $13,000 on the expenses of the lawsuit, which he said forced his family to downsize their home.

Knowles had been with the district for 12 years when he was terminated in 2006. Knowles claimed he was fired for political reasons and for expressing his rights to free speech, since his wife had been running for school board and he had been providing information to The Gaffney Ledger concerning operations within the maintenance department that resulted in negative publicity for the district.

Knowles believed the settlement vindicated him. "I feel it's a victory for working class people," he said.

Court documents filed just a few days before the jury trial was scheduled to begin June 9 indicated Knowles had been seeking $150,000 plus his job back, or $275,000 without a return to work, to settle the matter. Knowles had rejected a $70,000 settlement offer before the trial was set to begin.

"For me, it was not a concern if the jury was going to agree with me or not," Knowles said of his decision to accept the offer. He said he was confident a jury would side with him, but did not know what would happen to his case in an appeals court.

"All I was looking for through all of this was to work," he said.

Knowles didn't rule out the possibility he would apply for future employment in the district, though maybe not within the maintenance department. "I'm contemplating going back to school to get my Masters (degree) in elementary education," he said.