Author Nicholas Sparks is being sued by a teacher and headmaster for allegedly endorsing racism and homophobia at a school in America.
The man behind love stories The Notebook, Dear John and A Walk To Remember, is being accused by the former headmaster of the Epiphany School of Global Studies in North Carolina, a school founded and funded by Nicholas Sparks, of discrimination.
Saul Benjamin filed a 47-page lawsuit against Sparks after claims he encouraged a group of students to act out a “homo-caust” against their gay classmate.
According to The Guardian, the lawsuit filed reads:
“In reality, the non-fiction version of Defendant Sparks feels free, away from public view, to profess and endorse vulgar and discriminatory views about African-Americans, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (‘LGBT’) individuals, and individuals of non-Christian faiths.”
The lawsuit also states that Sparks told the headteacher that the reason the school wasn’t particularly diverse was because “black students are too poor and can’t do the academic work.”
Saul Benjamin’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, told the paper:
“Apparently, despite the efforts our society has made, Mr. Sparks wants to travel back in time and vilify those who promote diversity and tolerance of all people regardless of their sexual orientation and race.”
Saul has claimed that his attempts to make the school more diverse and inclusive “enraged” Nicholas, leading to his unfair dismissal in November 2013 after just nine months in the job.
Sparks’ lawyer, Theresa Sprain, has reportedly denied the allegations and says they “will vigorously defend this matter.”
