Liberty University Faces $37.4M Fine for Concealing Sexual Abuse

Liberty University continues to face more legal and reputational woes, with a leaked report showing the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is considering levying a $37.4M fine for a Clery Acts Violation.

The Clery Act “requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to disseminate a public annual security report (ASR) to employees and students every October 1st. This ASR must include statistics of campus crime for the preceding 3 calendar years, plus details about efforts taken to improve campus safety.

ASRs must also include policy statements regarding (but not limited to) crime reporting, campus facility security and access, law enforcement authority, incidence of alcohol and drug use, and the prevention of/response to sexual assault, domestic or dating violence, and stalking.”

Liberty which benefited from $874M in student loans, is accused of under reporting crimes committed on campus, discouraging victims from reporting the crimes, destroying evidence, failing to keep proper records, and ultimately not treating it as seriously as the law (and scripture) requires.

University President Dondi E. Costin rebuffed much of the information in the report, saying in a statement:

“The most damaging element of this whole process is the fact that for the first time that any of us are aware, the Department of Education leaked a preliminary report while we are in the process of negotiating with the department about all the advancements that we’ve made. And so that’s the biggest issue.
They are making claims about our intentions. They’re claiming that we acted in bad faith. I think there are a number of factual errors in the report. For instance, they are assuming that individuals who are making these claims are accurate and honest and transparent without exception, when in fact, much of the assertions that they’ve made are based on purely anecdotal information.”

Liberty is also facing a $35M lawsuit from former President Jerry Falwell Jr over for the unauthorized use of his late father’s image in a building dedicated to him.