The former executive claims he was fired after inquiring about how the university had responded to sexual assault complaints detailed in a separated lawsuit.
A former spokesperson for Liberty University has filed a lawsuit against the Christian college, alleging he was wrongfully fired after voicing concerns about the way the school handles sexual misconduct complaints.
According to ABC News, the lawsuit was filed by Scott Lamb, who was hired by Liberty as a vice president-level executive in 2018.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lamb said that he pressured other administrators for information on how sexual abuse and harassment complaints were being handled. Lamb, adds The A.P., specifically referenced an ongoing lawsuit.
That lawsuit, which has been covered by LegalReader.com, effectively claims that Liberty University misused its so-called “honor code” to suppress sexual assault complaints.
One of the twelve plaintiffs, for instance, alleged that she was attacked in a school bathroom. Despite being under-age, Liberty University officials reportedly interrogated her, and asked that she consent to being photographed naked by campus police officers.
The other complaints, broadly, say the same honor code—called “The Liberty Way”—placed the onus for sexual assault on victims, who were sometimes penalized for reporting their own rapes.
Many of the plaintiffs were under-age when they were assaulted.
In his interview with The Associated Press, Lamb said that Liberty University has plenty of financial resources and could have easily investigated the women’s claims.
“We put $300 billion in the bank last year, and some change,” he said. “We have two-point-something-billion in the endowment, and we can’t afford to deal righteously with these people. Why?”
However, Liberty University has categorically denied Lamb’s claims, casting them as defamatory remarks made by a man desperate to salvage his reputation.
David Corry, the school’s general counsel, said that Liberty “categorically denies Mr. Lamb’s claims that his termination was in any way the result of advice he had given on how the university should respond” to the lawsuit.
Corry further said that Lamb was fired after “a recent review of the area under his management.”
“Lamb’s lawsuit is a transparent effort to rebuild his own reputation by shamefully playing on the goodwill of supporters of sexual assault victims. We look forward to addressing his claims in court,” Corry added.
But Lamb says his decision to speak up was not without sacrifice: he told The A.P. that he forfeited a severance package after being told that he would only receive benefits if he signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Being fired, Lamb told The Associated Press, cost him not only his income and benefits, but scholarship opportunities for his four children.
“I’ll forsake the scholarship and the salary and the benefits […] to keep my tongue free to speak of which I’ve seen,” Lamb said.
Lamb is seeking unspecified benefits, lost income, and compensatory and punitive damages.
Sources
Ex-Liberty spokesman says he was fired for raising concerns
Former Liberty University VP sues school, claims LU mishandled sexual assault complaints
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