Truett McConnell faces lawsuit from president it ousted in sex abuse scandal

Swinson’s story, which was detailed in an investigative report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, prompted an outside investigation at the university. Trustees voted to fire Caner for cause in September after hearing the investigator’s findings.

Truett McConnell, a private institution in Cleveland, Georgia, has not released the findings that prompted Caner’s removal. But Caner’s lawsuit could open the door to their disclosure.

Swinson and her attorney have previously alleged that Caner failed to intervene as Reynolds groomed her, a claim the former president now says she made “falsely and without any evidence.”

In the lawsuit filed this month in White County Superior Court, Caner said he didn’t know about the relationship until after Swinson took her story to law enforcement in 2024.

Still, two former employees told the AJC they’d taken concerns to Caner years earlier about Reynolds spending time with Swinson alone. After one of them came forward in 2016, records show, Reynolds sent Swinson an email about it, telling her that Caner assured him “any more gossip like that, will result in the person saying it being fired.”

Swinson’s attorney, Marcia Shein, said Tuesday she would welcome Caner’s lawsuit going to trial.

“When the evidence comes out, I’m certain that Hayle’s position on this will be affirmed,” Shein said.

In the lawsuit, Caner said he fired Reynolds immediately after learning in 2024 that the White County Sheriff’s Office was investigating him. Caner added that he told the board of trustees about his decision, but they didn’t take steps to remove him until Swinson went public the following year in the Roys Report, a Christian news site.

Caner attorney Andrew Coffman told the AJC on Tuesday that his client hadn’t been given an opportunity to respond to the findings of the university’s investigation before he was fired. Caner wasn’t allowed to attend the board meeting at which the investigator’s conclusions were presented, Coffman said.

“There is no credibility to the claim that Dr. Caner would tolerate or condone the sexual misconduct that has been attributed to Dr. Reynolds,” Coffman said.

Truett McConnell declined to comment on the lawsuit and did not respond to questions about its outside investigation’s findings.

“Our focus, now more than ever, is on continuing the important work of preparing students for lives of faith, leadership, and service,” the university said in a statement.

Credit: Truett McConnell University

Credit: Truett McConnell University

The White County Sheriff’s Office did not pursue charges against Reynolds at the time, in part because the statute of limitations had run out. But the uproar among Truett McConnell faculty and alumni prompted prosecutors to review the case. Reynolds was indicted last year on three counts of making false statements to law enforcement after telling an officer he hadn’t had a relationship with Swinson.

Reynolds, who has pleaded not guilty, asked a judge last week to throw out the case, records show. His motion is still pending.

The reckoning at Truett McConnell also bolstered calls for statewide change. Georgia lawmakers voted this year to make it a crime for clergy to have sex with someone they pastor.

Caner’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the university for forcing him out of a job that paid him handsomely.

Caner was due to receive a base salary of more than $272,000 a year, with automatic increases for inflation, according to the lawsuit. He also got guaranteed raises tied to Truett McConnell’s financial performance and its ability to retain students through graduation.

Caner says he also received benefits worth some $133,000 a year, plus a house on campus and free meals. And he says he earned an average of $30,000 a year from outside speaking engagements.

According to his lawsuit, Caner had almost six years left on his contract when he was fired.