Former Truett McConnell University President Emir Caner has initiated legal proceedings against the university, asserting that the Board of Trustees breached his employment contract by terminating him in September 2025. The lawsuit, filed on June 5, 2026, in White County Superior Court, seeks damages, attorney fees, and additional relief related to his dismissal.
This legal action arises amid controversy surrounding Caner’s management of sexual misconduct complaints involving former university officials. The Board of Trustees placed Caner on administrative leave before ultimately voting 19-10 for his termination after allegations were raised about his handling of these complaints.
In the filed complaint, Caner states that he had been the university's president for over 17 years and had signed a 10-year contract extension in 2021, which was meant to last until June 30, 2031. The lawsuit stipulates that Caner could only be terminated for cause, a claim he argues the trustees failed to substantiate.
Central to the lawsuit are claims concerning former Academic Services Vice President Bradley Reynolds, who was dismissed in 2024 following an investigation into sexual misconduct. Caner asserts that he had no prior knowledge of Reynolds’ alleged misconduct until the former vice president informed him about the investigation. According to the complaint, Caner had consulted university counsel before making the decision to terminate Reynolds and provide him with a severance package, actions that were reported to the Board of Trustees at the time without any subsequent repercussions for Caner.
The situation escalated after a May 2025 investigative report by The Roys Report scrutinized the actions of university leadership regarding the Reynolds matter. In the wake of this report's publication, the trustees suspended Caner and launched an investigation, which ultimately led to the board’s vote to terminate his employment on September 25, 2025. The board cited Caner’s management of the Reynolds investigation and termination as the basis for their decision, a justification that Caner disputes as insufficient for terminating his contract.
Caner argues that the reasons provided by the trustees do not warrant a breach of his employment agreement. Furthermore, he is claiming compensation and benefits he alleges to have lost due to his termination, which include his annual salary of $272,639.69, performance-based increases, housing, health benefits, retirement benefits, a university vehicle, and additional contractual benefits. The lawsuit notes that his total annual benefits exceeded $133,000.
In total, Caner contends that the university improperly terminated a contract that had nearly six years remaining, and he is seeking actual, compensatory, and other damages, along with attorney fees and litigation expenses. The lawsuit exclusively presents Caner’s allegations, while Truett McConnell University will have the opportunity to respond in court.
As of the publication of this news, both Truett McConnell University and Caner’s attorney, Andrew Coffman, have yet to provide comments regarding the lawsuit. This legal challenge comes approximately eight months after the Board of Trustees voted to terminate Caner following an extensive investigation into the university’s handling of sexual misconduct complaints.
