Falwell has declined to answer questions from the AP about the size of the exit package he received from the university but has discussed the issue with other news organizations, which reported that he was set to receive $10.5 million. However, Liberty said in a statement last month that it paid Falwell two years of base salary and disputed “media reports regarding the size and terms” of Falwell’s contract.
In an August interview with the AP, Falwell said that the school’s board had been “very generous to me” but raised concerns that they were “being influenced by people who really shouldn’t have a say” about the future direction of Liberty.
In the lawsuit, Falwell claimed that Liberty “turned on” him after Granda went public with his allegations, forcing his resignation. The lawsuit also says Liberty rejected Falwell’s attempts “to reach an amicable resolution,” forcing Falwell to turn to court to “restore his reputation.”
The lawsuit says Liberty’s statements have harmed not only Falwell‘s reputation but also his future employment prospects and business opportunities. Falwell now has a “drastically reduced ability” to attach his name to business and charity organizations, and he has stopped receiving previously frequent invitations to appear on TV to discuss Liberty, evangelicalism and politics, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit further alleges that “Liberty’s actions are antithetical to the teachings of Christ.” Falwell’s attorneys charge the university with hurting its own standing and that of the broader evangelical community “by playing right into the hands of sinister operatives with ulterior motives.”
Falwell’s acrimonious departure from Liberty came four years after his endorsement helped burnish the reputation of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump among conservative evangelical Protestants. That group has since become a critical part of the president’s political base. The public Falwell-Trump alliance that marked 2016 is not visible in this year’s election, as the president looks to other prominent evangelical surrogates.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Schor reported from Washington, D.C.
This article originally appeared on APNews.com.
