Nearly a year after Truett McConnell University terminated President Emir Caner over claims that he ignored or disregarded allegations that his VP of academic services groomed and then sexually abused a student, Caner has launched a lawsuit and is suing for wrongful termination.
Last year former student Hayle Swinson publicly accused former Truett McConnell University administrator and professor Dr. Brad Reynolds of targeting her and abusing her during her time as a student and, later, as a staff member between 2013 and 2018.
At the advice of her counselor, Swinson eventually reported Reynolds to law enforcement in 2024. He resigned from TMU but was neither terminated nor publicly exposed. Swinson and supporters alleged that Emir Caner was made aware of the inappropriate relationship prior to 2024 but did not do his due diligence in investigating the claims and ultimately failed to act to protect female students under his care.
Notably, both Swinson and Reynolds were adults when this relationship formed, leading many to conclude that while Reynolds may have targeted and manipulated her, he did not ‘groom her,’ as that is a designation that should be exclusively used with minors.
Caner, who served as president of TMU for more than 17 years and had his contract extended in 2021 for another decade, is suing TMU for breaching his employment contract. The lawsuit reads:
The former student also claimed, falsely and without any evidence, that Caner knew of the professor’s misconduct
toward the student…As part of its public response to the unverified, yet scandalous allegations, TMU fired Caner. Doing so breached Caner’s employment contract with TMU, because the contract requires any early termination be made for cause.
At the time, Caner was earning a base salary of $272,639.69, which increased annually with inflation. Furthermore, he was receiving more than $405,639.69 in total yearly compensation and benefits, not including an additional average of $30,000 per year in speaking honorariums, which he will now lose.
Under the terms of the contract, TMU agreed to provide an unlimited meal plan for Caner and his family, him and his wife phones and any additional electronic devices needed to perform his duties, a university issued vehicle, and coverage for all his health care, life insurance, and retirement benefits. The annual value of these benefits exceeds $133,000.00…The contract also required Caner to live in the “President’s house” on campus and agreed to provide all maintenance of the “President’s house” during his term.
With six years remaining on his contract, he is seeking the equivalent of six years’ salary, along with compensatory damages and attorney fees.
A decade ago, Emir Caner was notably entangled in a controversy surrounding his brother, Ergun Caner, who was then the dean of Liberty University. Ergun falsely claimed to have been a Muslim jihadi, trained as a terrorist in majority-Muslim countries, where he learned English by watching American television, before arriving in America at age 15 with the intent to commit acts of terrorism.
In truth, Ergun spent his early years in Sweden, moved to the United States at age three, and grew up in Ohio as a nominal Muslim named Michael “Butch” Caner, later changing his name to Ergun Mehmet Caner where he built a reputation as a prominent apologist, author, and public speaker on the back of perpetuating these falsehoods.
Throughout the years, Emir remained silent, neither addressing the claims nor setting the record straight, despite knowing his brother was repeatedly and explicitly leveraging these falsehoods in his public and professional life. Later, after Ergun was exposed as an inveterate liar and during the height of the controversy, Emir still maintained his silence and never once spoke up.
