Key facts
- Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback is accused of withholding $8,000 in scholarship funds.
- The scholarship money was awarded to high school debate champion Briana Whatley from Fishback's company, Incubate Foundation Inc.
- Whatley won a total of $11,000 in awards, with $8,000 allegedly not delivered as promised.
- The lawsuit claims Fishback evaded communication, blamed a former employee, and misrepresented payment terms.
- Fishback admitted fault in a text message and paid a partial amount of the scholarship.
- A pretrial conference is scheduled for September 9.
Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback faces a lawsuit from Briana Whatley, a former high school debate champion, who alleges he failed to pay $8,000 of the $11,000 in scholarship money she won from his organization, Incubate Debate. Whatley claims Fishback, who is running against US Congressman Byron Donalds and Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins for the Republican nomination, initially ignored her inquiries, then blamed a terminated employee and falsely claimed an installment policy for the delayed payment.
According to the lawsuit, Fishback admitted to "dropping the ball" in a text message and later paid only $3,000 of the total winnings. Whatley is suing for the outstanding amount, plus interest and costs, alleging financial injury. She claims Fishback ceased communication after she questioned a missed installment payment. A pretrial conference is scheduled for September 9.
This legal challenge follows a recent court ruling where Fishback survived an attempt to remove him from the August 18 primary ballot over residency requirements. The scholarship dispute also comes after Fishback and Whatley had previously aligned in criticizing the National Speech and Debate Association over censorship concerns.