Ex-Liberty spokesman says he was fired for raising concerns

3 years ago 233

RICHMOND, Va. – A erstwhile spokesperson for Liberty University is suing the evangelical Virginia schoolhouse aft being fired, alleging successful a suit filed Monday that his termination came successful retaliation for voicing concerns that intersexual misconduct accusations were mishandled.

Scott Lamb, a vice president-level enforcement astatine the schoolhouse wherever helium was hired successful 2018, said successful an interrogation with The Associated Press that helium pushed for answers astir what was being done to analyse claims raised successful a suit filed implicit the summer by 12 women, and was continually dissatisfied.

The women's lawsuit, which is inactive ongoing, alleged the schoolhouse had a signifier of mishandling cases of intersexual battle and harassment and had fostered an unsafe field environment. A student-led question has since been established to advocator for systemic reforms, and the nonprofit investigative journalism outlet ProPublica published a profoundly reported probe Sunday with findings akin to the allegations raised successful the lawsuit.

Lamb said successful the interrogation that the university, which has a gleaming field successful Lynchburg, has plentifulness of resources and should person utilized them to unfastened a third-party probe of the women's claims.

“We enactment $300 cardinal successful the slope past year, and immoderate change. We person two-point-something-billion successful the endowment, and we can’t spend to conscionable woody righteously with these people. Why?” Lamb said.

Liberty University General Counsel David Corry said successful a connection that the assemblage “categorically denies Mr. Lamb’s claims that his termination was successful immoderate mode the effect of proposal helium had fixed connected however the assemblage should respond" to the women's lawsuit. He said Lamb was terminated with origin arsenic a effect of a gathering astir “a caller reappraisal of the country nether his management.”

“Lamb’s suit is simply a transparent effort to rebuild his ain estimation by shamefully playing connected the goodwill of supporters of intersexual battle victims. We look guardant to addressing his claims successful court,” Corry said.

Lamb’s suit alleges that helium was terminated for engaging successful enactment protected nether Title IX, the national instrumentality that protects against enactment favoritism successful education, aft challenging the university’s handling of the complaints.

His ailment says things came to a caput successful a gathering aboriginal this period erstwhile helium told apical schoolhouse officials that “he would not beryllium silenced oregon enactment successful a screen up of activities" astatine the university.

The pursuing day, helium was approached astir negotiating a separation statement and connected Oct. 6, helium was fired, according to the lawsuit.

Lamb besides alleges that helium was retaliated against for his information successful an extracurricular investigation conducted into the tenure of Jerry Falwell Jr., the erstwhile president whose idiosyncratic controversies and acrimonious departure from Liberty past twelvemonth garnered nationalist headlines.

His suit says helium sat for 20-25 hours of interviews arsenic portion of that probe, the findings of which the schoolhouse has not discussed publicly.

Lamb's suit broadens the database of litigation the schoolhouse has faced recently. In April, the schoolhouse sued Falwell, seeking millions successful damages. And successful July, a erstwhile NFL subordinate hired past twelvemonth to assistance pb diverseness initiatives sued, alleging radical favoritism successful his demotion and consequent firing.

Lamb said helium was offered a severance bundle if helium signed a nondisclosure agreement, which helium declined. His firing has meant not lone the nonaccomplishment of his income and benefits but assistance backing for his 4 children who be the school, helium said. His suit seeks to recoup past and aboriginal wage losses and unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

“I’ll forsake the assistance and the wage and the benefits ... to support my lingua escaped to talk of which I’ve seen," helium said.

A Liberty spokesperson did not respond to questions from AP astir what the schoolhouse has done to analyse the pistillate litigants’ claims, speech from resending a connection issued successful July, erstwhile the suit was filed. Nor did the spokesperson respond to a petition for remark astir ProPublica's investigation.

Kendall Covington, a elder astatine Liberty and a pupil typical for Save71, an alumni-led enactment advocating for betterment astatine Liberty, said the radical welcomes Lamb's evident willingness to propulsion for change.

She said the pupil assemblage had not received immoderate benignant of acknowledgment Monday astir the ProPublica story, thing she called “par for the course.”

“Liberty University needs to really code what’s occurring," she said.

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