MONCTON — A religious studies professor who in 2023 was fired from a faith-based university for alleged sexual harassment has filed a lawsuit against the New Brunswick institution, claiming wrongful dismissal, defamation and privacy breaches.
In a statement of claim, John G. Stackhouse alleges Crandall University in Moncton conducted a fundamentally flawed investigation that resulted in the public disclosure of allegations that damaged his reputation and that of his wife, Sarah-Jane Britton — a former student at the school.
The investigation, conducted by the law firm Pink Larken, started in April 2023 after the university learned of anonymous social media posts accusing an unnamed school employee of inappropriate behaviour in 2020 and 2021.
In a summary of his findings, investigator Joel Michaud alleged that Stackhouse's behaviour in the classroom included making sexist remarks and comments about people's looks. In Michaud's opinion, that behaviour constituted sexual harassment and bordered on abuse of authority.
As well, a review of dozens of emails found that Stackhouse engaged in "inappropriate banter” with an unnamed female student for seven months. The report quotes a response from Stackhouse acknowledging the emails were "inappropriate, unhealthy and unbecoming of a professor .... It cannot be defended."
The claim goes on to say Michaud's report wrongly alleges that like the other unnamed student, Britton was "sexually groomed" by the tenured professor while she was a student.
Michaud concluded the emails represented "a classic case of grooming."
"He was in a position of responsibility as a professor and also as an employer of (the student) and, in the view of the investigator, engaged in behaviour that constitutes sexual harassment," Michaud's summary says.
Stackhouse was placed on paid leave in July 2023. After the investigator presented his findings to the university's board of governors in November 2023, Stackhouse was dismissed.
The liberal arts university, founded in 1949 by the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada, has more than 1,400 students whose education is "firmly rooted in the Christian faith."
Stackhouse's statement of claim, which includes Britton as a plaintiff, was filed in February 2024. It says the professor "did not engage in any behaviour that constitutes just cause" for dismissal. As well, the document says he was never subjected to disciplinary action.
The claim says Michaud's report wrongly alleges that when Britton was a student at the university, she was "sexually groomed" by the tenured professor.
In an affidavit filed last month with the Court of King’s Bench, Stackhouse confirmed that in the fall of 2022, he disclosed to the university that he was in a new relationship with a "former, mature part-time student," later identified as Britton. At the time, the professor was in the process of getting a divorce from his first wife.
The document says Stackhouse and Britton had not started dating when she was enrolled as a student. And it says rumours about their relationship started circulating at the university in January 2023.
"Some students even complained to the administration, suggesting I was unfit to teach due to my relationship with a younger woman, although Ms. Britton was a divorced businesswoman and mother of four," the affidavit says.
Stackhouse and Britton were married in the summer of 2023.
The professor’s affidavit says no formal complaints were filed against him under the school's harassment policies. He alleges a faculty colleague was behind the anonymous social media posts that prompted the school's administration to launch a "media-driven campaign" and investigation "seemingly designed to appease complainants and protect Crandall University's image."
The affidavit states that shortly after Stackhouse was fired on Nov. 22, 2023, the university posted a statement on its website confirming his termination and sharing a summary of Michaud's findings, which included personal details and confidential information about an employment matter.
"The publication (of the findings) … exposed Dr. Stackhouse and Britton to contempt, ridicule and hatred and was deliberately calculated to lower (their) reputation in the estimation of right-thinking persons."
"The malicious, high-handed and arrogant conduct of Crandall University warrants an award of punitive or exemplary damages to ensure that Crandall University is appropriately punished for its conduct."
Stackhouse has since been unable to find new work as a professor, author, speaker or consultant, his statement of claim says. "The conduct of Crandall University was intended to cause harm to Dr. Stackhouse," the claim says, adding that, as a professor, he was earning $126,860 annually.
In a statement of defence, the university alleges Stackhouse acknowledged that he needed to change the way he communicated with students in the classroom. The statement says the professor's demeanour in class created an unwelcoming environment for certain female students. The statement says that in March 2023, the university received complaints about inappropriate comments in the classroom that included comments that were offensive to female students.
"Dr. Stackhouse ought to have known that his antics and sense of humour were unwelcome and unappreciated,” the statement says.
The statement of defence, filed on March 1, 2024, provides more details about the unnamed student who Stackhouse is accused of sexually grooming. It alleges the professor sent the student 78 emails, many of which included sexual connotations and described sexual fantasies.
As well, the statement says that Michaud's investigation concluded that Crandall, as a Christian university, should be concerned by the fact that one of its professors had started a romantic relationship with someone who had recently been a student and while still legally married to someone else.
"Crandall maintains that it had just and sufficient cause to terminate Dr. Stackhouse's employment, especially given its mission and values as a Christian-based university," the statement of defence says.
As for assertions that Stackhouse and Britton were defamed, the university says it did not post anything on its website that was not true.
“Crandall submits that the post (on the website) made by Crandall was necessary and in the public interest,” the statement says. "It was important to share certain aspects of the (Michaud) report to ensure students and former students felt that their concerns were heard … and that Crandall was taking action."
None of the allegations in the documents has been tested in court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
— By Michael MacDonald in Halifax
The Canadian Press
