TAMPA (WFLA) – A Hillsborough County judge has dismissed all counts brought on by a Tampa couple who attempted to sue a Catholic school and demanded the return of a large donation, after saying the school did not adhere to Catholic values because of the way it’s handling issues like race and accepting the LGBTQ community.
Anthony and Barbara Scarpo filed their lawsuit against the Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa in June 2021, after the couple pledged $1.35 million to the school.
The couple claims the school has “lost its way” by embracing a “woke culture” where priority is given to “gender identity, human sexuality and pregnancy termination among other hot button issues.”
In a statement by the office of the President of the Academy of the Holy Names President Kevin P. Whitney said:
“In making his ruling, Judge Paul Huey noted that this case would have forced the court to define what constitutes a Catholic education–and that under the U.S. Constitution and established case law such matters are not the purview of American courts.”
The written decision may not be available for several weeks.
A letter from an attorney for the school had previously called the lawsuit a publicity stunt and claimed the allegations in the lawsuit are “grossly incorrect as a factual matter and will be proven as such.”
The couple’s attorney says the lawsuit was never about the money, only the values the Scarpo family would like to see taught.
