A Lawsuit to Remember—Notebook Author Sued for Discrimination

The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Dear John.

The plaintiff, former headmaster Saul Hillel Benjamin, alleges that he was forced out of the office for attempting to recruit black students and teachers. When Benjamin attempted to increase diversity at the school, Sparks allegedly responded, “diversity should not be measured by percentages of minority students enrolled or minority faculty employed.”

Further, when Benjamin attended an NAACP event to find potential students, Sparks cautioned the headmaster and indicated that he “should utilize less public and visible means if he sought to meet with African-Americans.” Often, Benjamin claims, Sparks and other board officials made bigoted remarks about Jews and homosexuals and attempted to make Benjamin “stop talking about Islam, Judaism, or any other non-Christian religion” at school events since “that’s not what parents like to hear.”

Benjamin also stated that he was accused of “promoting a homosexual culture and agenda” because he supported a club that aimed to help bullied students discuss their sexual identities.

After an incident where Sparks allegedly locked Benjamin in a room and yelled at him, Benjamin resigned from his post because he feared for his safety. The suit names Sparks and three other members of the private school’s board and the Nicholas Sparks Foundation as defendants.

Source: Time Magazine