A state lawsuit filed by a former Judson College student against a former school administrator over sexually explicit text messages has been dismissed.
Alexis Burt filed suit in 2018 against Judson College and J. William “Billy” McFarland, who served as special assistant to the president for business development at Judson from July 2014 to April 2018. In the lawsuit, Burt alleged McFarland had sent her lewd messages through Facebook Messenger. The messages were sent following a luncheon held in Marion in May 2018, following McFarland’s resignation.
Burt was 19 years old at the time the messages were sent. Media reports said McFarland was 39 at the time. Burt dropped out of Judson soon after being contacted by McFarland.
The initial lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama in Jefferson County was dismissed by a federal judge a few months later.
Burt then filed suit against McFarland in state court. In March 2021, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Daniel Pruet ruled the messages, sent over a two-day period, were between “two consenting adults.”
‘Offensive’ messages
While the conversation may have been “offensive,” the judge said, Burt continued the conversation, and McFarland made no attempt to publish the messages.
A subsequent appeal was dismissed. In March of this year, McFarland’s legal team attempted to seal the court record. That request was denied.
Burt’s attorney, Ashley Rhea, told Alabama Media Group Burt is looking at further legal action.
“State law is not the only remedy, especially when it comes to harassment of women,” Rhea told AL.com.
In a statement to The Tuscaloosa News, McFarland called the suits “without merit” and said he had been “vindicated through the judicial system.”
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