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Administrators claimed Professor Adam Lamparello violated students’ privacy by complaining online
A tenure-track law professor recently filed a lawsuit against Georgia College and State University after he voiced concerns about student plagiarism and then was fired.
Professor Adam Lamparello, who had been awarded his department’s “Excellence in Teaching” award, was terminated earlier this year for what he claims was protected speech under the First and 14th Amendments, according to his lawsuit.
Lamparello, a professor of public law, told The College Fix more about the situation in a recent email interview.
“In recent years, I’ve seen a clear and troubling trend in higher education: educators are increasingly being disciplined or dismissed for expressing opinions that challenge prevailing orthodoxies – whether political, social, or educational,” he said.
Especially troubling to the professor is that “many of these statements are fully protected by the First Amendment and contribute to the kind of intellectual diversity that once defined higher learning.”
A university spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit when contacted by The Fix. GCSU is a public liberal arts university, part of the University System of Georgia.
However, the university told 13WMAZ in a statement: “Georgia College & State University has received notice of the filing of a lawsuit by Adam Lamparello, a non-tenured faculty member hired in 2020 who resigned voluntarily in July 2025.
“GCSU and its administrators have operated in full compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, as well as with University System of Georgia policies, in handling Mr. Lamparello’s employment. While the university is committed to transparency, we cannot comment on pending litigation,” the university stated.
According to his lawsuit, which The Fix reviewed, Lamparello said the university ignored his complaints about plagiarism and student entitlement in one of his spring semester classes.
Frustrated, Lamparello posted a comment on a public listserv expressing his concerns about the students’ behavior and the university’s inaction, the lawsuit alleges.
In the May post, he wrote:
“Over the past several semesters, I’ve noticed that students have become more entitled and lack any sense of accountability. Nearly half of my students plagiarized … I’ve tried my best to help them and been flexible and supportive, but the lack of engagement, respect, and fragility is exhausting. 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. I’m reaching out to ask: Have you seen similar trends? How do you deal with it?”
After Lamparello wrote the comment, he was called into a meeting with university President Cathy Cox and human resources staff, according to the lawsuit.
During the meeting, Amy Phillips, interim chief human resources officer at GCSU, told the professor that his comments “present[ed] an inappropriate and unbecoming image of the university,” the lawsuit claims.
Phillips and Cox asked Lamparello if he thought his listserv post would negatively affect students applying to law school, the lawsuit alleges.
However, neither of the college administrators asked or expressed concern about underequipped students entering the rigors of law school or the current job market, according to the case.
The lawsuit alleges the university terminated Lamparello after claiming he tainted the university’s image and violated the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects students’ privacy.
The case additionally alleges the university leaders neither notified Lamparello of their investigation into his online conduct, nor afforded him the opportunity to respond to the allegations.
“The meeting was an HR ambush interview of the kind that has become typical in academic institutions over the last decade with the ascendance of ‘Human Resources,’ and that occurs without even the pretense of due process,” his lawsuit claims.
Lamparello told The Fix that a court victory in his case “will be a victory for educators everywhere who believe that truth, curiosity, and open dialogue still matter.”
He said a win also would reaffirm “that free speech is not a privilege granted by administrators or HR hall monitors, but it is a constitutional right.”
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