Oral Roberts Univ. faces lawsuit - campaign and personal irregularities

[OKNancy]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071003_1_A1_hrpah05761

Three professors said they lost their jobs because of a report about the Richard Roberts family.

Three former Oral Roberts University professors sued the school and four administrators in Tulsa County District Court on Tuesday, alleging wrongful termination and wrongful causing of one professor's resignation.

The professors said they lost their jobs because they turned over to administrators a report that alleged the Richard Roberts family extensively spent university money for personal uses. Roberts is ORU's president.

The lawsuit includes a summary of the report, minus the "more salacious" information, as former professor and plaintiff Tim Brooker said.

snip

Tim Brooker said ORU's 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit status could be at risk because, he said, Roberts required him to make his students work for 2006 Tulsa mayoral candidate Randi Miller's campaign, in violation of laws that prohibit nonprofit groups from getting involved in partisan political campaigns



snip

The summary of the report in the lawsuit alleges:


One of Richard and Lindsay Roberts' children vandalized and removed athletic department equipment from ORU property.


University and ministries employees regularly do the homework of the Roberts' children.


ORU paid $29,411 for one Roberts daughter to vacation with friends in Florida and the Bahamas and use the ORU jet for transportation.


Lindsay Roberts routinely uses ministries security personnel during personal vacations.


Lindsay Roberts awarded 13 non-need-based scholarships to friends of her children, two of whom had test scores below ORU's admission requirement; and more.


pdf of complete lawsuit: http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/pdfs/Swails_vs_ORU.pdf