Judge Blocks Attempted Breakup of Antioch Board

An Ohio court issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking the Coalition for the Common Good’s attempt to dissolve the Antioch University Advisory Board. 

But the court said CCG could place Antioch President Lori Varlotta on paid administrative leave. 

The ruling is the latest in a monthslong legal battle between Otterbein and Antioch Universities, which partnered in 2023 to form the Coalition for the Common Good. 

In August, the board of CCG—led by Otterbein President John Comerford—voted in private to disband Antioch’s board, take over Antioch’s bank accounts and make changes to its accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission. That same day, Comerford sent a termination letter to Varlotta. 

After losing its first attempt at an injunction to block those actions in September, Antioch, through board member Therese Cannon, re-sued to prevent what it says is a “hostile takeover.”

Judge Adolfo A. Tornichio, in the Common Pleas Court of Greene County, Ohio, said CCG lacked the authority to abolish the AU Advisory Board or to make changes to Antioch’s institutional and programmatic accreditation without the approval of the Antioch Standing Committee. The CCG board is comprised of nine members, eight division directors split between the Antioch Standing Committee and the Otterbein Standing Committee and an independent director. 

Tornichio ruled that CCG also lacks the authority to fire Varlotta, who has led Antioch since 2025, but he denied Antioch’s request to block CCG’s efforts to place her on administrative leave. “While this may feel like a distinction without a difference, under Ohio law, placing an employee on administrative leave is not the same as terminating them,” he wrote.

In a statement, Steve Crandall, chair of the Antioch University Advisory Board, called the ruling a “huge win” for the institution.

“We are thrilled that the Court has agreed with Antioch University that the CCG does not have the authority to abolish the Antioch University Board of Governors, take over our relationship with the Higher Learning Commission, or fire Antioch President Lori Varlotta, the leader we hired and fully support,” he said. 

(The Antioch University Board of Governors became the members of the newly formed Antioch University Advisory Board when CCG was created in 2023.)