Suspended Law Student Sues Regent University

I posted an article or two last year about the Regent University Law School student who was basically thrown out of the school for being what some might describe as disrespectful to Pat Robertson. Subsequently, he filed a federal lawsuit against Pat Robertson and Regent University in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas since the student lives in Spring, Texas, which is near Houston, as reported in this Boston Globe story. The case survived Robertson's and Regent's motion for a summary judgment dismissal and has now been transferred to the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia based in Norfolk for trial.

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I have been contacted by Texas counsel for the law student and been asked to serve as Virginia associated counsel on the case since it is a requirement that out-of-state counsel associate Virginia counsel to assist in the case and be local counsel of record. Since I am (1) admitted (a) both in Virginia and Texas, and (b) to both the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (as well as the 5th and 11th Circuits) and (2) apparently viewed as someone not afraid of the wrath of the Christian Right, I guess I seemed like a good attorney to ask. In any event, after reviewing the Complaint and speaking with Texas counsel, I have agreed to act as associated counsel.

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It will be interesting case. It will also be interesting to see if I end up being described as a "militant, radical homosexual activist" by the Christianist news services once my involvement becomes widely known.