NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A former president of Louisiana College has lost an appeal Wednesday in his federal lawsuit alleging that the school had illegally retaliated against him after he filed complaints with a college accrediting agency.
Aguillard served as president of the private baptist college from 2005 until he stepped down for health reasons in 2014. He had remained on faculty until he was fired in 2016.
According to the court record, in the aftermath of his firing, Aguillard filed complaints with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools alleging, among other things, that some students’ grades were changed illegally and that the college had covered up a campus shooting. The college later filed suit saying the accusations were defamatory.
Aguillard followed with the 2017 federal suit alleging the college’s defamation suit was retaliatory and illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The suit said his disability was related to heart disease and he was discriminated against because of theological differences with his successor.
The 5th Circuit said the ADA and Title VII don’t prohibit retaliation based on communications with the accrediting agency. The court also rejected a claim that Aguillard was entitled to sue for intentional infliction of emotional distress under state law.
An attorney for Aguillard did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
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