Former Liberty Football Players Drop Defamation Lawsuits
Defamation lawsuits filed against Liberty University by three former football players have been dropped as of March 23.
The former Flames football players filed lawsuits in 2017 against the university, listing several claims, including violating their Title IX rights and defaming them in a news release after an alleged 2016 sexual assault. The university denied the allegations and the court quickly dismissed all but the Title IX and defamation claims.
The former players — Cameron Jackson, Kyle Carrington and Avery James — sued the university, Liberty’s Executive Director of External Communications Len Stevens and the alleged assault victim who accused them of assault in 2016. Each plaintiff sued for more than $100 million, claiming damages to their reputations, careers and future earnings.
The plaintiffs also alleged that the university noted the sexual assault allegations on their transcripts, preventing them from enrolling at other colleges. The former players claimed that the notations robbed them of both their athletic and academic careers and affected their future earnings.
Liberty University investigated the three men after the alleged victim reported claims of sexual assault in July 2016. The alleged defamatory news released was published in October 2016 after the university’s investigation was complete and sanctions were imposed.
The Lynchburg Police Department also conducted an investigation into the alleged sexual assault but did not file any criminal charges against the three former players.
The university responded to the suits by asserting its actions, and disclosures were consistent with the requirements of both federal and state law.
Following their depositions, all three plaintiffs dropped their Title IX claims against the university in late February. However, the defamation claims against the university and Stevens remained until March.
Jackson dropped his defamation claim March 20.
“(Jackson) agrees that there are no issues left for the Court to resolve,” Jackson’s attorney, Joshua Farmer, said in an email to the News & Advance. “He’s satisfied with the outcome of his case. There’s really nothing else I can say on the topic.”
Carrington and James followed suit on March 23.
“I am pleased that the matter has resolved, and that Mr. Carrington can now move forward with his life,” Carrington’s attorney, Rebecca Wetzel, said in an email to the News & Advance.
Liberty University General Counsel David Corry made a similar statement to the News & Advance, stating that the matters have been resolved to the parties’ “mutual satisfaction.” However, neither Corry nor the plaintiffs’ attorneys revealed anything more about how or why the cases were resolved.