Lynchburg judge unseals documents in Falwell defamation suit

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: (Lynchburg) News & Advance

Lynchburg judge unseals documents in Falwell defamation suit

By Richard Chumney The (Lynchburg) News & Advance 6 hrs ago

Court documents detailing key provisions in Jerry Falwell Jr.’s employment contract with Liberty University have been unsealed in the defamation suit brought by the disgraced evangelical leader against his former employer. ... Falwell, who resigned as president of Liberty in August amid a series of scandals, has alleged the school damaged his reputation by repeating what he claims are lies about his participation in an extramarital affair involving his wife and a former business partner.

In a lawsuit filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court last week, he accused the school of defamation and breach of contract. The complaint included some redactions related to Falwell’s employment agreement. ... But in a hearing held remotely Wednesday due to the coronavirus pandemic, Judge James Watson ruled the full documents should be made public.

The previously redacted portions of the complaint unsealed by Watson run just a handful of sentences and offer few new details about Falwell’s employment agreement with the university he led for 13 years.

But the now-public documents make clear Falwell’s attorneys believe the defamation suit hinges on provisions in the contract, which they’ve claimed bars university officials from making “defamatory or slanderous remarks” about Falwell and publicly discussing the reasons behind his resignation.

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Read more: https://roanoke.com/news/state-and-regional/lynchburg-judge-unseals-documents-in-falwell-defamation-suit/article_4eab9798-1982-5284-95f8-6b3328b62a3a.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. At best, Falwell Jr. has a cause of action for invasion of privacy,

BUT I'm certain he had a Morals Clause in his contract with Liberty. Several Liberty professors have been cashiered for not being Christian enough in the past.

[mpcamb]

3. But does the pool boy?

[aggiesal]

4. I just have one thing to say about that ...

[no_hypocrisy]

2. New Topic: Falwell's attorney is not from Virginia. He's headquartered in NYC

Cory Struble is an associate in the New York office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP. Since joining the firm in 2013, his practice has included defamation and copyright and trademark infringement actions, as well as complex commercial disputes and international arbitration. Cory’s trademark cases have spanned diverse industries, including fashion, beverage, insurance, automotive, entertainment, online services, and other consumer products. Cory’s copyright practice has also been wide-ranging and has included infringement disputes concerning literary, photographic, musical, artistic, and architectural works. He has litigated defamation cases on both the plaintiff and defense side. Cory also maintains an active pro bono practice. In 2017, Human Rights First presented him with its “pro bono star” award for his work on behalf of asylum seekers.

https://www.quinnemanuel.com/attorneys/struble-cory/

[ck4829]

5. K&R