Milledgeville professor says he was fired for complaining about plagiarism. Lawsuit filed
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comment from Georgia College and State University
A former Georgia College and State University professor is challenging his “illegal termination” in a lawsuit filed Monday against the school’s administration, according to court records.
Adam Lamparello, a former law professor at the Milledgeville school, said he was fired after he had complained to other professors about difficult students in his classes who had allegedly plagiarized work and begged to get additional attempts to do their work. The administration launched an investigation into Lamparello rather than the students, which led to his firing, according to his lawsuit.
Lamparello argues that his firing was a violation of the 1st and 14th Amendment, which give him the right to speak freely and the right to due process. He also accuses the university of breaching contract, according to his lawsuit.
The incident “exemplified a pattern, practice and culture at Georgia College and State University (where) professors are investigated and punished for upholding academic rigor and integrity,” said Atlanta attorney Robyn Painter, who represents Lamparello in this case.
The university and several key administration and board members are being sued:
- T. Dallas Smith, the chair for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
- Holley Roberts, the provost and vice president of academic affairs at GCSU
- Karin Elliott, the vice chancellor of human resources of the University System of Georgia
- Cathy Cox, the president of GCSU
- Indiren Pillay, the interim dean of the college of arts and sciences at GCSU
- Amy Phillips, the interim chief human resources officer at GCSU
Lamparello wants a judge to declare the defendants liable for the violation of his constitutional rights and for the breach of contract. He also wants to be awarded damages and a jury trial. He also wants to be reinstated as a tenure-track professor, according to the lawsuit.
In an email Wednesday, GCSU officials said Lamparello resigned from his position in July.
“We can also confirm that the university received dozens of open records requests related to this matter and is responding in full compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, as well as with University System of Georgia policies,” the university said. “While the university is committed to transparency, we cannot comment on pending litigation.”
‘I have never seen anything like this’
Lamparello — a professor who taught introductory courses on law and criminal justice, as well as other courses — discovered students had plagiarized one of their assignments. He found in February that they “copied a portion of a legal brief written by opposing counsel in a successful wrongful death lawsuit Professor Lamparello brought that involved his brother’s tragic suicide,” according to Painter’s writings in the lawsuit.
The incidents carried on until April, Painter said, which included plagiarizing portions of a complaint, a legal memorandum, a draft and the final version of the summary judgment brief. Because the university’s policies require professors to report academic dishonesty to the dean, he filed the complaints. However, GCSU did nothing, according to the lawsuit.
“Yet after Professor Lamparello did his duty, one of the cheating students retaliated,” Painter said in the lawsuit. “On multiple occasions one student in particular begged Professor Lamparello for grade increases and cried when she did not receive a grade she believed she deserved. In retaliation, the student falsely complained of Professor Lamparello’s ‘unprofessionalism,’ alleging he never gave them feedback, graded inconsistently and treated her ‘unfairly.’”
None of those complaints made by the student were true, according to the lawsuit. Despite that, Painter said the students who plagiarized their work were not disciplined.
He contacted a listserv run by the Legal Writing Institute Community in May, which allowed him to get in contact with a list of subscribers who may have been able to help him. He asked for advice on a difficult student for what he deemed was his most difficult academic year in the 14 years he’s spent teaching. Lamparello complained about the student’s entitlement and lack of accountability, as well as the plagiarizing issue and even attendance.
“I’ve tried my best to help them and been flexible and supportive, but the lack of engagement, respect, and fragility is exhausting,” Lamparello said to people on the server. “In the final class, I addressed the issue directly and told them that such behavior won’t serve them well in law school or other professional settings. Well, several students became visibly upset and filed complaints, though no formal action was taken.”
“I have never seen anything like this,” Lamparello said before requesting advice.
Complaint sent about students led to firing
The professor was given a termination notice on July 1, the lawsuit says. GCSU administration explained that his tenure-track position was revoked and that the current academic year would be his last because he violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. He met with Phillips and Pillay that same day, who expressed concerns regarding his comments on the server.
The comment he made gave the university an “unbecoming look” and caused Cox and other leadership severe distress, according to the lawsuit
“Simply put, Professor Lamparello was, without any notice whatsoever, called to answer for exercising his 1st Amendment rights,” Painter said in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further suggested that, in that meeting, Phillips and Pillay were more concerned about the school’s image than they were student’s unprofessional conduct. Lamparello was made aware in that meeting that the school had investigated his conduct, without his knowledge, with no opportunity to respond, which he believes violates his 14th Amendment right.
The university’s policies require the administration to have a discussion with Lamparello seeking for a mutual settlement, an informal inquiry to the president to recommend dismissal proceedings, a letter to Lamparello forewarning that he would be terminated and a statement of charges, the lawsuit said. None of those procedures were employed when Lamparello was terminated.
“Defendants are so fragile that their exposure, even among a specialized community of legal-writing professionals, as coddling over-entitled students caused them to panic, deviate from all established policies and principles, and terminate Plaintiff,” Painter said in the lawsuit.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
