Gallegly v. CLU

Year One of Varlotta’s Presidency: The Impacts of Covid, Demands from the Galleglys, Legal Proceedings

A Timeline of the Gallegly Center's Development (Sept 2020-Sept 2021)

September 1, 2020

Dr. Lori Varlotta Becomes CLU's 8th President

  • Dr. Lori Varlotta becomes CLU’s first female and openly LGBTQ+ president.
  • The appointment is historic and signals CLU’s interest in change.

Varlotta Meets the Galleglys Face-to-Face

  • Varlotta meets the Galleglys for a face-to-face meeting at their request (Covid protocols are still in place).
  • The Galleglys tell Varlotta that getting the papers archived is their top priority.
  • Hearing the Galleglys loudly and clearly, Varlotta pledges to get the papers out of storage and into an accessible archival collection. She reminds them, though, that the Gallegly Center is not the only matter of importance. For the foreseeable future, she will be leading the campus through the global pandemic, addressing the impacts (enrollment decline, budget shortfalls, morale erosion) it has inflicted.
  • Meeting ends on a high note.

November 2020

December 2020

Varlotta Meets Again with the King Galleglys (Zoom)

  • The Galleglys (and ally, Joanie Young) request another meeting with CLU president. Varlotta agrees to meet with the Galleglys and Joanie Young via Zoom, and she include VPs Neilson and Biddings-Muro to join the meeting.
  • Meeting is largely centered around fundraising efforts: how, from whom, when, and with whose help should the Galleglys be soliciting gifts.
  • Meeting goes well and Janice Gallegly suggests that they may be willing to drop the threat of litigation if things continue in this positive way.

Varlotta Documents Positive Meeting

  • Varlotta documents the positive meeting and sends a written summary to the Galleglys.

Mid December 2020

January 2021

The Galleglys Object to Summary, Request More Meetings

  • The Galleglys object to some of the December 17 summary notes, request additional meetings.
  • Varlotta, only months into her presidency and dealing with campus reopening, asks the Galleglys to direct forthcoming questions and concerns to the Advisory Committee since it is the proper channel for dealing with these types of inquiries.

Continued Meeting Requests

  • The Galleglys continue to ask for meetings with the CLU president.
  • Varlotta agrees to gather a small group on zoom.

February-April 2021

early-late 2021

The Galleglys Demand Detailed Financials

  • Varlotta, two Board Officers, and CLU attorney hold April 2021 zoom meeting with the Galleglys and their attorney; the Galleglys are now demanding detailed financial information.
  • Varlotta promises to provide an accounting of the financials during this meeting.
  • Varlotta did not know (at the time) that VP Neilson and her budget specialist had already shared a financial accounting with the Gallegly Advisory committee and the Galleglys were present.
  • The Galleglys create and push a public narrative that CLU is unwilling to disclose to them the Center’s financial records.

Financial Reports Shared with Advisory Committee 2021

  • CLU provides the Gallegly Advisory Committee - of which the Galleglys are members - with two separate Center budget reports, but appropriately withholds protected donor information.
  • The Galleglys grow increasingly frustrated when the university denies their requests for financial and donor details that are not legally or ethically accessible to individuals outside official university governance.

2021

Mid 2021

The Galleglys Work Behind Scenes to Damage the Relationship Between the Reagan National Library and CLU

  • A series of emails reveals that the Galleglys worked hard to damage the relationship between the Reagan National Library and CLU.
  • They then blame the eroding relationship on Varlotta.

The Galleglys Initiate Covert AG Complaint Campaign

  • The Galleglys ask five friends and supporters to submit letters to the CA Attorney General Office, accusing CLU of financial secrecy and mishandling donor funds. The Galleglys execute this AG complaint plan several months before they file their lawsuit.
  • Gallegly writes his own letter to the AG where he makes this statement: "In light of the refusal by Cal Lutheran to provide an accounting of the funds raised, I believe an outside body with legal authority, such as your office, must investigate Cal Lutheran's handling of the money raised and spent for possible violations of Penal Code section 503413."

Mid-late 2021

Mid-late 2021

The Galleglys Join Forces with Paid and Volunteer Operatives

  • The Galleglys engage a PR firm to design and execute a covert media campaign targeting Varlotta specifically.
  • The Galleglys join forces with community VIP James Lacey to do early community outreach and create a public narrative against CLU before they file the lawsuit.