(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 be …