Former University of Louisville attorney Amy Shoemaker claims criminal conduct she was duty-bound to report led to a retaliatory demotion by an administration that may have preferred to suppress scandal.
A whistleblower lawsuit filed Friday In Jefferson Circuit Court alleges Shoemaker's decision to alert campus police to Dino Gaudio's attempted extortion of former U of L basketball coach Chris Mack on March 17, 2021, incurred the wrath of then-President Neeli Bendapudi and resulted in Shoemaker being "frozen out," relieved of some of her responsibilities, subjected to a salary cut and ultimately leaving for a position at Miami University of Ohio.
Shoemaker's complaint says she was berated by Bendapudi for reporting the extortion attempt to authorities and quotes Bendapudi telling her, "Amy! You cannot trust the FBI!" and describing the agency as "tricky."
Shoemaker contends the Clery Act required her to report information concerning criminal activity on campus to law enforcement and the university compliance office in her role as a campus security authority and she expressed concern Gaudio posed a possible threat to Mack or others.
She recounted Wade Smith, Bendapudi's chief of staff, telling her she had exceeded her responsibility and that decisions on what crimes to report were the purview of the president.
Shoemaker's stated concerns apparently came into conflict with the university's preference to handle the matter in-house and avoid the appearance of yet another...
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