Liberty University Sued by Former Civil Rights Investigator for Discrimination Erika Woolfolk claims racial and whistleblower discrimination.

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“Erika Woolfolk, a former civil rights investigator at Liberty University, filed a lawsuit alleging racial and whistleblower discrimination. She claims she faced unequal pay, a hostile work environment, and retaliation for cooperating with federal investigations into Title IX violations. Liberty University denies the claims, stating Woolfolk was terminated for legitimate business reasons.

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A former civil rights investigator in Liberty University’s Office of Equity and Compliance for Title IX has filed a lawsuit against the college for wrongful termination and discrimination against her on the basis of her race and because she was a whistleblower.

Erika Woolfolk, a black woman, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia on August 12, claiming she “was subjected to racially discriminatory and hostile treatment, denied promotions and advancement opportunities in favor of less qualified white employees, assigned disproportionate workloads, denied remote work privileges afforded to white colleagues, and ultimately terminated in retaliation for her cooperation with federal investigations and her complaints about discriminatory and unlawful conduct by University officials.”

She is seeking injunctive and monetary relief for the discriminatory treatment she alleges. Before bringing the lawsuit, Woolfolk sought administrative relief through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Woolfolk was employed by Liberty University from 2014 through 2024. She is also a graduate of the college.

In her lawsuit, Woolfolk claims that, despite her experience and seniority, Senior Vice President of University Compliance Ashley Reich paid her significantly less than her fellow employees who were white while requiring Woolfolk to “maintain the heaviest workload compared to her coworkers.” She also alleges that she was subjected to a hostile work environment where her coworkers made racially charged and insensitive comments.

In August 2022, Woolfolk cooperated with federal Department of Education investigators about Title IX violations at Liberty. The investigation resulted in a $14 million fine against the university.

Woolfolk asserts that her cooperation led to Reich denying her career advancement opportunities, such as a newly created deputy coordinator of investigations position. After the person who was hired was subsequently dismissed due to sexual misconduct, Woolfolk was again overlooked in favor of someone with less experience and fewer qualifications, the lawsuit asserts.

When seeking work from home accommodations due to various issues, including a loud and distracting work environment and recovery from ankle surgery, Woolfolk said she was regularly denied accommodations while coworkers were granted requests so they could work from home for situations such as their children being on a school break.

In February 2024, Woolfolk filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education alleging she had suffered systematic discriminatory treatment. In May, she met with an attorney to detail her concerns about Title IX policy violations at Liberty. Then in June, she filed a formal internal complaint against Liberty for its alleged discriminatory conduct with Interim Title IX Coordinator Diane Padilla.

Padilla acknowledged her concerns and accommodated her desire to work from home, Woolfolk said, but about two weeks later, Liberty abruptly terminated her employment, the lawsuit asserts.

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“The stated reason for termination was vague ‘compliance issues,’ but no specific details were provided to Ms. Woolfolk about what these alleged compliance issues were, making it impossible for her to address or refute the allegations,” the legal filings state.

Woolfolk was terminated on the same day as Peter Brake, another civil rights investigator who filed a lawsuit in February 2025 against the school and its leaders for discrimination and retaliation under Title IX, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and the Virginia Whistleblower Protection Law.

Liberty Chancellor Jonathan Falwell was recently dismissed from Brake’s lawsuit, which continues in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

In a statement to USA Today, Liberty University disagreed with Woolfolk’s claims, saying her termination was not based on her race nor her interactions with the federal Department of Education. Woolfolk was fired for “legitimate business reasons related to Liberty’s continuing effort to provide excellent service in the Title IX investigation function,” according to the university’s statement.

“It is unfortunate that Ms. Woolfolk’s lawsuit attributes bad faith to Ms. Ashley Reich, who has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to Liberty University’s compliance program,” the statement said. “As a faith-based institution and equal opportunity employer, Liberty has impartial measures in place to assure the fair and equal treatment of all employees.”

In the MinistryWatch 1000 database, Liberty University, one of the largest Christian universities in the country, earns two out of five stars for financial efficiency, a C transparency grade, and a donor confidence score of 34 out of 100, meaning MinistryWatch recommends donors withhold giving.

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