This week in Christian history: Dwight Moody marries, Greek monk martyred, Jerry Falwell Jr. resigns
Jerry Falwell Jr. resigns – Aug. 25, 2020
This week marks the anniversary of when the Liberty University Board of Trustees accepted the resignation of Jerry Falwell Jr. as president and chancellor of the Evangelical academic institution.
The son of Liberty University’s founder, the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., Falwell had assumed the leadership of the Lynchburg, Virginia-based school in 2007 following his father’s death.
His resignation came after allegations had surfaced that Falwell's wife had had an affair with a 29-year-old man named Giancarlo Granda, which had begun several years earlier.
After his resignation, litigation ensued between Falwell and Liberty, with Falwell claiming that they had forced him to resign based on inaccurate allegations against his moral character.
In July of last year, the two parties announced they had reached a settlement, with them saying that it would resolve "all outstanding disputes on both legal and personal matters."
According to USA Today, a Liberty tax form showed that the university agreed to pay Falwell around $5.5 million to settle the litigation and about $9.7 million for his retirement package.
Meanwhile, according to the report, Falwell had agreed to pay Liberty the sum of $440,000 in order to settle "disputed expenses" between him and the university.
