Liberty University sues Jerry Falwell Jr. over sex scandal, seeks tens of millions in damages
Falwell resigned from the university in August 2020
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Liberty University has filed a lawsuit against its former president, Jerry Falwell Jr., seeking tens of millions in damages after his departure from the school last year.
The civil suit alleges Falwell committed breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and statutory conspiracy, the Associated Press reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Furthermore, the Christian university asserts that while Falwell had a "fiduciary duty to disclose [Giancarlo] Granda’s extortive actions, and to disclose the potential for serious harm to Liberty" to the board of trustees, he "furthered the conspiracy of silence and negotiated a 2019 Employment Agreement that contained a higher salary from Liberty."
The lawsuit also claims that Falwell has refused to return confidential information and other personal property.
Liberty filed the complaint on Thursday in Lynchburg Circuit Court, according to the AP. It wasn't immediately clear if Jerry Falwell has an attorney representing him in the case, the outlet reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Falwell, 58, resigned from the Virginia school in August of last year after a scandal came to light regarding the sexual escapades of Falwell, his wife Becki Falwell and a younger business partner of the family named Giancarlo Granda.
Granda claimed he had a years-long sexual relationship with Becki Falwell and that Jerry Falwell had participated as a voyeur.
Falwell denied any participation in the acts but acknowledged his wife and Granda had an affair. Meanwhile, the Falwells alleged Granda sought to extort them over the relationship.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Falwell had already been on leave prior to those details becoming public after posting a photo from a family yacht outing to Instagram that raised eyebrows.
In it, Falwell and a young woman were shown posing together and he was with his pants unzipped.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Falwell was holding a drink in his hand and a caption jokingly read that its contents were "just black water."
The New York Times reported Friday that Becki Falwell had contacted members of the university's executive committee over concerns about her husband's drinking and the suit alleges that Falwell resisted the idea of residential rehab paid for by the university.
In August, a transcript of a 911 call from Becki Falwell to Bedford County emergency responders revealed that Falwell had been drinking and that he had lost "a lot of blood" after falling down the stairs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Times noted that the Liberty University suit alleges Falwell deceived the board into negotiating a new contract with a higher severance payout if he should resign for a "good reason" or if his contract was terminated without cause. It also claims Falwell "improperly and errantly" told members of the media he was owed $10.5 million after his departure.
The newspaper noted that the university had filed the suit on the same day its board of trustees had arrived for their semiannual meeting.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Liberty University told Fox News via email on Friday that their only comment on the matter was the lawsuit itself.
Fox News' attempts to contact Jerry Falwell for comment were not immediately returned.
Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty and The Associated Press contributed to this report.