(CP) Liberty University and its former chancellor, Jerry Falwell Jr., have agreed to a settlement, ending litigation that stemmed from Falwell’s ouster as leader of the distinguished Virginia-based Evangelical academic institution.
According to an announcement released Friday, the 2 parties stated that they “have reached a worldwide resolution agreement settling all outstanding disputes on each legal and private matters.”
“This agreement is grounded in a firm commitment to protecting and preserving Liberty’s original mission of developing Christ-centered men and girls with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to affect the world,” they said.
“It is predicated on a mutual understanding regarding the quantity Liberty University can pay its former president in authorized retirement and severance under the varied disputed agreements and consistent with the law; and the conditions under which the University will make use of Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr.’s name, image, and likeness.”
The two parties went on to notice that they “regret the lengthy and painful litigation process,” with all sides taking “responsibility for his or her part within the disputes.”
“Falwell acknowledges and apologizes for the errors in judgement and mistakes made during his time of leadership. The Board of Trustees acknowledge and apologize for the errors and mistakes made on their part as well,” they added.
Liberty and Falwell concluded by noting that they’d not make any additional comment on the small print of the settlement or concerning the lawsuit generally.
In August 2020, the Liberty Board of Trustees announced that they’d accepted Falwell’s immediate resignation from his positions as president, chancellor and member of the board of directors.
The resignation had come shortly after revelations surfaced that Falwell’s wife had had an affair with a 29-year-old man named Giancarlo Granda, which commenced several years earlier.
Granda later attempted to blackmail the couple, telling Reuters that Falwell was aware of the extramarital affair and even “enjoyed watching from the corner of the room.”
Falwell acknowledged in an announcement that his wife “had an inappropriate personal relationship with” Granda, but denied any involvement within the affair.
Later, in 2020, Falwell filed a lawsuit against Liberty leadership, alleging that they accepted inaccurate claims against Falwell’s moral character with none proper research and compelled him to resign.
In a statement in October 2020, Falwell said he was “saddened that University officials, with whom I even have shared a lot success and enjoyed such positive relationships, jumped to conclusions concerning the claims made against my character, didn’t properly investigate them, after which damaged my fame following my forced resignation.”
“While I even have nothing but love and appreciation for the Liberty community, and I had hoped to avoid litigation, I have to take the crucial steps to revive my fame and hopefully help repair the damage to the Liberty University brand in the method,” Falwell said on the time.
