Liberty University sues former leader Jerry Falwell Jr. for $10 million

Liberty University has filed a lawsuit against its former president, Jerry Falwell Jr., for $10 million, according to several reports.

The suit alleges that Falwell withheld pertinent information from the school’s board of trustees while negotiations were underway for a new contract in 2019, The New York Times reported.

The information in question surrounded an alleged sexual relationship between his former business associate, Giancarlo Granda, and Falwell’s wife.

Falwell has claimed he and his wife were being blackmailed over the affair. Granda has denied any intent to blackmail the couple.

Falwell and his wife reconciled over what they called a brief affair. However, after details of the affair went public, Liberty University announced Falwell’s resignation.

The suit filed Thursday in a Virginia state court alleges that Falwell had a “fiduciary duty to disclose Granda’s extortive actions, and to disclose the potential for serious harm to Liberty.”

It says Falwell “furthered the conspiracy of silence and negotiated a 2019 Employment Agreement that contained a higher salary from Liberty,” The Associated Press reported.

The school further claims that Falwell didn’t disclose the “issue of his personal impairment by alcohol” and hasn’t returned Liberty’s confidential information and property, the AP reported.

Scott Lamb, a spokesperson for Liberty University, told The Hill in a statement “the University’s only word on the subject is the lawsuit itself.”

Falwell sued Liberty in October, alleging the school pressured him to resign over the affair.

-Updated 2:57 p.m.