LYNCHBURG, Va. (Lynchburg News and Advance) – Lawyers for Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. have threatened in a cease-and-desist letter to sue the author of an explosive report alleging misconduct by Falwell, calling the journalist’s claims “false and defamatory.”
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The News & Advance after it was delivered Tuesday, is the clearest sign yet that Falwell intends to wage a legal battle over what he has previously called an attempted coup to oust him as university president.
Falwell has retained attorneys from the New York-based law firm Kasowitz, Benson & Torres, whose founding partner, Marc Kasowitz, served as a personal attorney for President Donald Trump until 2017. In a statement, Falwell said the firm is conducting a broad investigation into former Liberty officials and board members who may have spoken to or provided internal records to journalists.
Last month, Politico Magazine published a story alleging Falwell leveraged the university’s business interest to enrich himself, family members and friends. The story — which carried the headline, “Someone’s gotta tell the freakin’ truth: Jerry Falwell’s aides break their silence” — included internal university emails obtained by Politico and cited unnamed sources.
The magazine article, written by LU graduate Brandon Ambrosino, said it was based on interviews with more than two dozen “current and former high-ranking LU officials and close associates of Falwell’s.”
The article, which received widespread national attention, was published amid a cascade of media reports detailing free speech concerns at Liberty and business decisions Falwell has made during his tenure as university president.