In June, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson notified SPU that his office was investigating “possible discriminatory employment policies and practices” at the school. SPU was asked to provide details on hiring and firing policies related to individuals’ sexual orientation and involvement in a same-sex marriage or relationship.
On July 27, SPU filed a federal court lawsuit against Ferguson, contending that his investigation violated the university’s right to religious freedom.
“Seattle Pacific has asked a federal district court to step in and protect its freedom to choose employees on the basis of religion, free from government interference or intimidation,” the school said in a statement.
Ferguson responded two days later, declaring that his office “respects the religious views of all Washingtonians” but chiding SPU for resorting to litigation.
“The lawsuit demonstrates that the University believes it is above the law to such an extraordinary degree that it is shielded from answering basic questions from my office regarding the University’s compliance with state law,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said his office intervened after receiving numerous complaints from SPU faculty and students. Their basic concern, he said, was that the university — located in one of the country’s most liberal cities — “discriminates against faculty and staff on the basis of sexual orientation,” which is prohibited by state law.
The plaintiffs in the new lawsuit against the trustees include six SPU students and 10 members of the faculty or staff.
Among them is Chloe Guillot, who graduated from SPU earlier this year and now – despite her differences with the trustees – attends the university’s seminary.
“I’m stubborn—there’s a part of me that refuses to give up,” she said, “I love professors I’ve had.”
“One thing that’s been hard to communicate to the public is how the actions of the board are so different from the rest of the university,” Guillot said. “The lawsuit goes through the ways these board members have orchestrated a coup that contradicts everything the university stands for.”
Among the faculty plaintiffs is Lynette Bikos, a professor of clinical psychology. She described the board’s behavior as “nefarious”—jeopardizing SPU’s future and undermining its longstanding commitment to diversity.
