Ashlie Simpson Sues Colorado Christian University

Ashlie Simpson, 31, is suing Colorado Christian University

Ashlie Simpson, a 31 year-old student services advisor, claims she was fired from Colorado Christian University in January, 2012 after being questioned if she was "living in sin" with her boyfriend.

"I was shocked to learn that CCU was concerned about my personal life, and even more distressed when they chose to fire me because of it," Simpson told ABC News.

Simpson and her lawyer believe that the University fired her for having sexual relations outside of marriage and accusations of a relationship with a married co-worker. Simpson said the second complaint was unfounded and arose from a simple coffee break with a co-worker.

Simpson is now suing her former employer for damages, back and future pay, future benefits and invasion of privacy.

Colorado Christian recently filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration over the Affordable Care Act.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Ossit]

05:54 PM on 05/19/2012

There's a lot of this going on. They should mind their own business. What you do out of school is none of anyone's business. Think this is right, Christians? Wait until you're the target and let's see who you want to bend over to be spanked.

[LJ P]

02:43 PM on 05/18/2012

Was the University's policy on unwed cohabitation published and made known to Ms. Simpson? IF it was, she will have a hard time with this case. IF it wasn't she is a winner.

[Paul Robertson]

07:32 PM on 05/19/2012

That's all it takes in your book for an employer to take control of an employee's private life? A written policy? Policy or no policy, this was wrong.

[Wayne Conner]

08:19 PM on 05/19/2012

As much as I find this Universities enforced "morality" distasteful, I have to agree with LJ P. If you knowingly enter into an agreement that allows an organization to fire you for certain behaviors, there's not much you can do about it.

[LJ P]

11:55 PM on 05/19/2012

Right or wrong is only opinion.  Legally if they presented it and she agreed to it, then she will have a hard time in court.  The school has a right to set rules based on their beliefs, She has a right to refuse to accept them. or to accept them.. IF she accepted them and then changed her mind then she will have a tough go of it in court.  That is all I ma saying.

[Larson E Whipsnade]

12:35 PM on 05/18/2012

Today Christians ... stand at the head of [this country]... I pledge that I never will tie myself to parties who want to destroy Christianity .. We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit ... We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theater, and in the press - in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess during the past ... (few) years.

- Adolf Hitler, quoted in: The Speeches of Adolf Hitler, 1922-1939, Vol. 1 (London, Oxford University Press, 1942), pg. 871-872

[LJ P]

02:45 PM on 05/18/2012

And then after he was elected after this speech he went after the Christians too.

[DrJon]

12:11 AM on 05/18/2012

I'm glad that I never sin. I feel sorry for people who believe in sin since it's just a means of social control.

[Jaynelbob]

01:11 AM on 05/18/2012

I do hope you're not wearing any clothes of mixed fibres then, cause oops, then you've sinned.

[DrJon]

01:49 AM on 05/18/2012

No, I wear raincoats only. !00 %Mazulian rubber.

[Dale Chan]

01:30 PM on 05/18/2012

I don't wear clothes.

[parentofvictim]

08:14 AM on 05/17/2012

Sounds like CCU. Fire, ready, aim. As a parent of a former student, I've seen first hand how they make up rules on the fly and don't follow clearly laid out procedures in their own handbook. I've seen how they make up their own facts and stick with them no matter how implausible. Godspeed Ashlie. I hope you make them see truth.
www.coloradochristiansexharass.com

[NJP1]

08:04 AM on 05/17/2012

these are the first steps towards a theocratic-fascist dictatorship

[SidTheScienceKid]

04:10 AM on 05/17/2012

Religion is silly at beast and destructive on average.

What are we waiting to eliminate this insanity from our nation ?

[nadohawk]

06:42 PM on 05/17/2012

So you want to be like the communists?

[SidTheScienceKid]

06:50 PM on 05/17/2012

You seem to have left me in the dust with that leap.
Please, explain your logic, step by step, so I can follow.

[MadWonko]

02:12 AM on 05/20/2012

well, that's one thing they had right...

[DrJon]

12:12 AM on 05/18/2012

Not just from a nation but from the globe.

[SidTheScienceKid]

12:18 AM on 05/18/2012

I like the enthusiasm.. think global, act local, right? :)

[SidTheScienceKid]

12:20 AM on 05/18/2012

WOW, I just noticed that my original post got auto corrected to BEAST from BEST... pretty funny! :)

[NWBrunette]

06:21 PM on 05/16/2012

If she had a job at a Mormon institution and had included a 'sister-girlfriend' as well, then everything would be kosher.

[Ernie Evil]

06:18 PM on 05/16/2012

Hmm.. so cons are against government mandate, but for corporate mandates.

[NWBrunette]

06:16 PM on 05/16/2012

Go get 'em, Ashlie!

[Brandino43]

06:03 PM on 05/16/2012

What did she think would happen by violating clear biblical teachings on human sexuality while in the employ of a Christian school? If I don't like the rules and expectations of my employer, I can just leave. If she wants to sleep with a guy who isn't her husband, then get another job. By the way, the single greatest contributor to divorce is living together. Shacking up fails about 90% of the time. Those who shack up, and actually get married, divorce at 49% within 5 years and 63% within 10 years.
Those who don't shack up before marriage divorce at 26% within 5 years and 36% in 10 years. Couples with one of the partners is a virgin divorce at only 8% over the life of the couple. Maybe God knew what He was doing when He gave us boundaries.

[NWBrunette]

06:18 PM on 05/16/2012

Grow up. Anyone's employer is not allowed in their bedroom. Period. You don't get that, find another country.

[Brandino43]

09:35 PM on 05/16/2012

Amusing. If you and I disagree, then I should get out of America. How very pseudo-liberal of you. By the way, if you care to examine the constitution of the United States, you might notice that sexual proclivities are not a protected status.

[LJ P]

02:50 PM on 05/18/2012

IF she new and accepted the policy prior to employment, she may have a tough time with that argument.

[pops1959]

11:35 AM on 05/17/2012

You have sources to back up your figures, I assume?

[jestermarcus]

03:47 PM on 05/17/2012

And perferably not from a Christian website. If they are willing to lie about...well everything for the last 2,000 years I sure don't expect them to find their integrity now.

[Brandino43]

09:25 PM on 05/20/2012

Certainly. Try the CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. The report is: Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States. Series Report 23, Number 22. 103pp. (PHS) 98-1998. [PDF - 5.5 MB]
By the way, your complete lack of sources for a counter-argument must be a complete oversight on your part.

[fredgladys]

05:03 PM on 05/16/2012

So it is true, for catholics the Enlightenment never happened.

[SteveFromEuless]

04:51 PM on 05/16/2012

The Christian Taliban rears it's ugly head.
Better pick up the burkha at the cleaners...

[Tommy6860]

04:49 PM on 05/16/2012

Religious institutions that apply strict moral codes when they "think" they are broken, have a completely different set of rules when their leaders commit the very same sins and then apply a different set moral standards to themselves. Religious institutions, especially of late, cry foul when government makes a policy that impinges upon their beliefs and their privacy. Yet they wallow in their own hypocrisy involving themselves in the private lives of those they want to control in their flock or employ.

[JackVandusen]

03:47 PM on 05/16/2012

If her contract says she needs to uphold their standards at all times, she's out of luck.
If they want to enforce that kind of control, they need to make it contractual, and the employee needs to sign.

[GhostOfFDR]

01:11 AM on 05/18/2012

Such morality clauses in employment contracts are unenforceable in most of the US. They're also illegal in the most of the civilized world. Unfortunately we're talking about Colorado, so "civilized world" might not apply.

We'll see. That's why she's suing.

[JackVandusen]

09:36 AM on 05/18/2012

Glad to hear that generally.  Good luck to her.

[Mark In LA]

11:37 AM on 05/18/2012

She could also be suing because that's what everybody does now.

[Mark In LA]

11:36 AM on 05/18/2012

You have a lot of stuff in the employee handbook. I assume that is the contract you are talking about. Nobody reads it because they all assume they are all the same. With this place it could be different. She would then argue that "they should have told me". However, I suspect she already knew. Her workmates may even have told her it was against school policy but she thought they would never catch her or she would do what she is doing now.

Regardless of how people view the school, they have a right to make up any rule they want provided it isn't illegal and it is enforced uniformly.