A former Liberty University employee, Erika Woolfolk, has filed a lawsuit alleging she was fired for cooperating with a federal investigation into the school’s handling of sexual assault cases. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, also claims Woolfolk faced a hostile work environment, racial discrimination, and unequal pay during her time in the university’s Title IX office.
This case follows similar allegations from other former employees and comes after the university was fined $16 million for Title IX violations, the largest such fine in U.S. history.
Read more about the Title IX investigation here
Background and Allegations
Woolfolk, who holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees from Liberty University, began working at the school in 2014. She started with the Liberty Flames Sports Network before moving to the Office of Equity and Compliance/Title IX in 2018.
In her suit, Woolfolk alleges she was the only Black employee in the office, paid less than less-experienced peers, and tasked with heavier workloads. She claims she was denied promotions, remote work opportunities, and was subjected to racial remarks, including comments categorizing “Blacks as either ‘black-black’ or ‘white-black.’”
Claims of Mishandled Sexual Assault Cases
Woolfolk’s responsibilities included investigating sexual violence cases on campus. She alleges her supervisors, including former administrator Ashley Reich, improperly predetermined case outcomes and shared confidential case details in ways that risked prejudicing proceedings.
