Liberty, Falwell Jr. reach global settlement
Liberty University and Jerry Falwell Jr. have reached a global resolution agreement that settles all three lawsuits between the Lynchburg private Christian university and Falwell, Liberty‘s former president and chancellor who was forced to resign in 2020 in disgrace. In a joint statement released Friday afternoon, Liberty and Falwell said that Liberty’s board of trustees […]
Falwell Jr. lawsuit targets Prevo, Liberty board members
A legal complaint filed last week by former Liberty University President and Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. alleges that President Emeritus Jerry Prevo and members of Liberty’s executive committee received in excess of $1 million from the university “through a series of questionable self-dealing transactions that have the appearance of kickbacks.” Filed in the U.S. District [&helli[...]
Liberty to pay off $189M in bonds early
Liberty University plans to pay off more than $189 million in taxable bonds next month, according to paperwork filed Wednesday by the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co. NA. The prices will be set March 31, which will include accrued interest. Liberty issued a $100 million bond in 2012 with a 5.1% interest rate, […]
Liberty launches search for new president
Liberty University announced Wednesday that it has hired an Atlanta-based executive search firm to find its next president, who will succeed Jerry Prevo, the longtime board chair who became the Lynchburg private Christian institution’s interim president after Jerry Falwell Jr. stepped down amid scandal in August 2020. “President Prevo has been a gift from God […]
Falwell revives Liberty defamation suit, wants personal items returned
Former Liberty University President and Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. has revived his defamation lawsuit against the Lynchburg-based private Christian university that is suing him for $10 million, according to court documents filed in late October. Falwell also seeks the return of personal property he says is being held by the university, including a .38 revolver, […]
UPDATED: Liberty University files $10M suit against Falwell
Liberty University has sued Jerry Falwell Jr. for $10 million, accusing the former president and chancellor of the Lynchburg-based Christian university of breach of contract and fiduciary duty. The suit alleges that Falwell negotiated a salary increase and larger severance package in his 2019 contract while not disclosing to the university’s executive committee his entanglement […]
Liberty’s renamed think tank names Pompeo, Huckabee as fellows
Liberty University‘s newly renamed think tank, the Standing for Freedom Center, has announced a slate of five new fellows, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Also named as fellows are Abby Johnson, an anti-abortion activist who used to work for Planned Parenthood, and Liberty alumni David and Jason Benham, […]
Winter frolic at Liberty snowballs into controversy
It’s no Falwell-sized scandal, but interim Liberty University President Jerry Prevo issued an apology Tuesday for a snowball fight that got out of hand on Sunday morning. “This past Sunday morning as I opened the curtains and looked outside, I saw a Liberty University campus covered in deep snow. Having lived in Alaska for the […]
Liberty University sues state over tuition assistance cut for online students
Liberty University, the large, private nonprofit Christian school in Lynchburg, has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ralph Northam and the director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), alleging that amendments to the 2020 state budget “wrongly exclude Virginia students who access higher education through online content” from receiving the Virginia Tuition […]
Jerry Falwell Jr. drops defamation lawsuit against Liberty University
Jerry Falwell Jr. has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Liberty University, saying in a statement Thursday that he has decided “to take a timeout” from the suit while keeping his options open. Falwell sued his former employer Oct. 28 in Lynchburg Circuit Court, claiming that the university made defamatory statements about him in the wake […]
Falwell sues Liberty University, claiming defamation
Jerry Falwell Jr. filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Lynchburg against Liberty University, claiming his former employer made defamatory statements about him. He also alleges in the lawsuit that his former business partner, Giancarlo Granda, who had a highly publicized affair with Falwell’s wife, has conspired against Falwell with “politically motivated backers,” including the political[...]
Liberty University finance probe issues call for whistleblowers
A firm conducting an investigation at Liberty University will use an encrypted website to allow anonymous whistleblower complaints focused on financial misconduct by “current or former members of university leadership,” the university announced Tuesday night. Chicago-based public accounting firm Baker Tilly US began its probe of the Lynchburg-based Christian university in early Septemb[...]