The people behind a class action lawsuit against Martin University’s president and its board of trustees are hoping the legal move will uncover what happened before the school abruptly closed earlier this year.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Martin University Alumni Association, and features the association, four former students and a prior receptionist.
Dwight McGill, president of the alumni association, said the lawsuit is about transparency from the board about the school’s closure and potential sale.
“I know we cannot stop them from selling the university,” McGill told IndyStar. “But because of the investigations we have been doing and digging and stuff like that, this could reveal answers to questions people still have.”
Martin University announced it was pausing operations in December 2025 amid enrollment and financial issues, before closing and going up for sale by February of this year. Community leaders have rallied to keep the state’s only predominantly Black institution open, including petitioning people to purchase the property to remain a school.
IndyStar has reached out to the Board of Trustees through their email contact, which said that neither the university nor the trustees will comment on pending litigation.
Eastern Star Church has expressed interest in purchasing the property, according to reports, but details about what it could become haven’t been revealed. IndyStar reached out to Eastern Star, but did not immediately hear back.
Read the lawsuit against Martin University board of trustees
Robert Turner is the attorney overseeing the lawsuit. He says it’s been in the works for about a month and has a personal stake in what happens with the university, seeing that he taught criminal justice and criminal law there under Benedictine Father Boniface Hardin, who founded the school in 1977.
“We will always do the best we can for Martin, the community and its students,” Turner told IndyStar.
The class action lawsuit accuses the defendants of the following:
Pastor Denell Howard, vice president of the alumni association, said that leaders working to keep Martin University open have hit dead ends.
“We’ve been trying to contact people to say ‘hey, if you purchase the property, be sure you’re purchasing it for the continuation of Martin as a university,'” Howard told IndyStar.
The Alumni Association, according to the lawsuit, continues to seek transparency and answers regarding:
“We’re gonna continue to fight,” Howard said. “We have placed honorary doctorates on people and given people honorary doctorates that have not come to the aid and assistance of the university, and it’s disheartening.”
Beyond seeking transparency, those involved in the lawsuit want people to know the closure negatively impacted students.
Kevin Getter, a former student named in the lawsuit, said the week he turned in his last final was the same week the university sent out the email saying that they were pausing operations. It took nearly two months for him to receive his transcripts.
He was set to graduate this May, and won’t be able to walk across a stage.
“I’d already made arrangements with family and friends,” Getter told IndyStar.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
(This article was updated to correct typographical errors.)
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘We’re going to continue to fight,’ Martin University lawsuit explained
Reporting by Jade Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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