Saco man settles slander suit Ex-law student said he was called ‘demon’

NORFOLK, Va. – A former law student from Maine who accused Regent University of ordering him to undergo counseling after classmates called him a “demon” has settled his federal lawsuit against the school for an undisclosed sum.

Herbert O. Chadbourne of Saco sued the university, founder Pat Robertson, and two administrators a year ago, claiming civil rights violations, defamation and slander.

The Virginia Beach university had denied the allegations in court papers, and a federal judge had dismissed most of Chadbourne’s claims, including those against Robertson. The trial on the remaining claims had been scheduled for Jan. 14.

Chadbourne sought $1.3 million. Although barred from disclosing the settlement amount, Chadbourne said it wasn’t much higher than Regent’s initial offer of $2,500.

Regent officials declined to comment on the settlement.

Chadbourne, an Army veteran who served in the Persian Gulf War, had developed a facial tic that he said may have been the result of exposure to chemical or biological agents.

“It was the sudden onset of this disability that caused at least one, if not several, of the plaintiff’s religiously fervent classmates to inform the plaintiff that he ‘had a demon and had therefore been cursed by God for being sinful,'” Chadbourne said in court papers.

Chadbourne said he was suspended by a school official who said nine students had “expressed concern” about him after he turned in a classmate he suspected of stealing his belongings. Chadbourne claimed he was told he could return to school only after getting a satisfactory evaluation from a psychologist.