Liberty University Fined $14M For Violating Campus Safety Laws: Report

LYNCHBURG, VA — Liberty University, a private Christian university based in Lynchburg, has agreed to pay a record $14 million fine for violating federal safety laws and failing to disclose information about crimes committed on the school's campus, including sexual assaults, according to multiple reports citing the U.S. Department of Education.

The fine is the largest ever levied against a university under the Clery Act, a federal law requiring colleges and universities that receive federal funding to report campus crime data, support victims of violence, and publicly outline the policies and procedures put in place to improve campus safety.

"Students, faculty, and staff deserve to know that they can be safe and secure in their school communities," Rich Cordray, the chief operating officer of the Federal Student Aid Office of the Education Department, said in a statement obtained by the Washington Post. “We will continue to hold schools accountable if they fail to do so."

Liberty has marketed itself for years as having one of the nation’s safest campuses. The Washington Post and USA Today reported in October that preliminary findings by federal investigators described a university that discouraged people from reporting crimes and could not provide basic documentation about crime on campus.

Before Tuesday, the largest Clery Act fine in history was $4.5 million against Michigan State in 2019, according to a February report from the Congressional Research Service. Federal investigators said Michigan State failed to adequately respond to sexual assault complaints against Larry Nassar, a campus sports doctor who molested elite gymnasts and other female athletes.

Liberty confirmed in October that it had received a preliminary report from the government’s investigation. The school said it was corresponding with officials about “significant errors, misstatements, and unsupported conclusions in the Department’s preliminary findings.”

Liberty has become one of the world’s largest Christian schools since its 1971 co-founding by religious broadcaster Jerry Falwell Sr. In 2022, the school said it hit a record of 115,000 students pursuing degrees online, while more than 15,000 were enrolled at its campus in Lynchburg.

The university was already facing scrutiny in the form of lawsuits over its handling of sex assault cases, while the Clery Act investigation became public knowledge in 2022 in the wake of recent litigation.

Lawsuits by former students and employees have accused the school of botching sexual assault reports or failing to investigate allegations of rape. The litigation was filed under under Title IX, the federal law that protects against sex discrimination in education and often overlaps with Clery.

Liberty settled a civil lawsuit filed by 12 women in 2022 after they accused the school of fostering an unsafe environment and mishandling cases of sexual assault and harassment.

The women alleged that Liberty’s strict honor code made it “difficult or impossible” for students to report sexual violence. The lawsuit said the university had a “tacit policy” of weighting investigations in favor of accused male students, and it said the university retaliated against women who did make such reports.

The terms of that lawsuit’s settlement were not disclosed. But at the time, Liberty outlined several changes it undertook to improve campus security and review how it responds to incidents of sexual harassment or violence.

The school had said it spent more than $8.5 million on campus security upgrades, while ensuring more licensed mental health providers were available to provide counseling.

The university said it was also revising its amnesty policy to “better communicate” that it will not discipline parties who engage in behaviors, in connection with a case of sexual harassment or assault “that would have otherwise violated its student honor code.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.