Renowned author of "The Notebook" Nicholas Sparks was sued by his former headmaster, Saul Hillel Benjamin, a Jewish educator whom Sparks hired to work at the Epiphany School for Global Studies which the author founded in 2006.
Benjamin filed a 47-page lawsuit Thursday, stating that the famed writer, along with other school officials, forced him out of office after having found out that he tried recruiting black students and members of faculty. It is said that the school only had 2 black students among the total attendance of more than 500. A copy of the suit, which was obtained by TMZ, quoted Sparks telling Benjamin "Black students are too poor and can't do the academic work." The Notebook author also mentioned that "diversity should not be measured by percentages of minority students enrolled or minority faculty employed." The former headmaster also noted that he was condemned for attending the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), indicating that "Mr. Benjamin should utilize less public and visible means if he sought with African-Americans."
The popular scribe and other officials reportedly made hypocritical remarks against Jews and homosexuals. They even pressured Benjamin not to support a club of bullied students discussing their sexual identities. They did not want him "promoting a homosexual culture and agenda." His jewish background and quaker faith were also put into question.
The complaint accused "The Notebook" author Nicholas Sparks of trapping Benjamin in one of the rooms of the school last November and even shouting at the headmaster. He was also diagnosed by Sparks of an Alzheimer's disease that cost his reputation in the school and their community in New Bern, North Carolina.
The school's website indicates that it doesn't make a distinction between applicants based on race, gender, ethnicity, color, sexual orientation, or religion. The school is independent from official religious affiliations although its values and guiding principles originated from Judaeo-Christian traditions.
The lawsuit asks for an award for monetary damage due to "mental anguish and emotional distress."
Meantime, the Associated Press reported a statement of entertainment attorney Scott Schwimer saying "As a gay, Jewish man who has represented Nick for almost 20 years, I find these allegations completely ludicrous and offensive," as released by Spark's publicist.
Sparks, 48, is the author of widely-read novels that are regularly adapted into Hollywood movies, such as "A Walk to Remember," "The Notebook," and "The Last Song." He lives in New Bern, North Carolina with his wife, 3 sons and 2 daughters.
