Oral Roberts University has been at the butt of many jokes over the years, but a brewing scandal might just topple the Oklahoma Institution like Joshua at the battle of Jericho. "God" is a mighty word, and it is definitely being tossed around Tulsa. Oral's son Richard runs the place now and is claiming that God has told him to deny the allegations in a lawsuit brought by professors and students of the campus.
According to the lawsuit, Richard has been stealing from the University to pay for lavish trips for his kids, remodeling his house, buying luxury cars for his wife, ridiculous cell phone bills that involve underage boys being called during the middle of the night (I swear I couldn't make this up if I tried) and on top of that, having students work on a Tulsa Mayoral campaign that is highly illegal as the University is a non-profit institution.
Students and professors are extremely angry at what they have uncovered and seek unspecified damages for being dismissed after making the allegations public. Some students are even transferring to avoid the shame of having a degree from ORU. Of course in Richard Roberts' world, God tells a different story:
At a chapel service this week on the 5,300-student campus known for its 60-foot-tall bronze sculpture of praying hands, Roberts said God told him: "We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not. This lawsuit ... is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion."
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