(RNS) — Liberty University has largely moved on from the scandal-ridden era of former president Jerry Falwell Jr. However, his family appears to have not.
Falwell’s wife, Becki, has accused the school’s board of mismanagement and of mistreating her family in a series of Facebook posts. And last month, Jerry “Trey” Falwell III, a former Liberty vice president and the son of Becki and Jerry Falwell Jr., filed a lawsuit against the Christian school in Lynchburg, Virginia, saying its leaders violated his 15-year employment contract. The university denies the allegations in the lawsuit.
At issue in the suit, first reported by Daniel Silliman of the Roys Report, is a personal services contract signed by the younger Falwell and his father in January 2016, according to a court filing in the Circuit Court for the city of Lynchburg in April. The contract, which expires in June 2030, guaranteed Trey Falwell a salary of $88,000, annual 5% raises, a $600 monthly car allowance, free tuition and other benefits. According to the complaint, the younger Falwell’s salary was raised to $220,000 in 2017.
That contract would become void if the younger Falwell were fired for cause. Otherwise, the school was required to keep paying him until 2030, even if he was fired, according to the suit.
Lawyers for Trey Falwell alleged that school leaders gave no details when he was fired in April 2021, about 10 months after his father resigned.
“When Defendant terminated Plaintiff’s employment in April 2021, he immediately became contractually entitled to continued payments of his then-current salary and other amounts, totaling $1,750,000,” the complaint alleges.
Liberty University’s Sparky the Eagle is seen on Nov. 14, 2020, at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Va. (AP Photo/Shaban Athuman)
Attorneys for Trey Falwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the five-year delay in filing a claim for wages.
The college rejects the allegations.
“Liberty University disputes the allegations about Trey Falwell’s termination without cause and that he is entitled to compensation. The lawsuit is without merit, and the University will vigorously defend this case,” a spokesman for Liberty told RNS in a statement on Thursday (May 28). “It will state its position in filings with the court.”
The younger Falwell is not the only family member to sue Liberty, which was founded by the televangelist and political activist Jerry Falwell Sr. in 1971 and has grown into one of the largest Christian schools in the country. After he resigned, Jerry Falwell Jr. sued Liberty and later his brother, Jonathan, the school’s chancellor, seeking to reclaim millions in retirement benefits and alleging that school leaders mishandled funds. Another suit claimed defamation. The school countersued, asking for $10 million for breach of contract.
Falwell Jr. had resigned in 2020 after years of scandal over his support for Donald Trump and allegations that Falwell Jr. had watched his wife have sex with a business associate.
The suits were settled in 2024.
Jonathan Falwell, who also pastors Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, where his father once presided, remains the chancellor of Liberty.
Despite the scandals and Falwell Jr.’s departure, Liberty appears to be thriving. During the fiscal year that ended in June 2020, two months before Falwell resigned, the school reported $1.3 billion in revenue, a budget surplus of $249 million and $2.9 billion in net assets, according to its Form 990 financial disclosure to the Internal Revenue Service. For the fiscal year ending in June 2024, the latest filing available, Liberty reported $1.8 billion in revenue, a $345 billion surplus and $4.3 billion in assets.
