The president of Missouri State University is facing charges stemming from an incident that occurred during his time at Utah Tech

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Missouri State University President Richard “Biff” Williams sent a message to students Saturday regarding a lawsuit related to an incident at his former university.

In the email, Williams says he made a humorous gesture toward a university employee during his tenure as president of Utah Tech University and now realized the prank was inappropriate.

“That was a mistake. “I regret my misjudgment and accept this as a learning moment,” Williams said.

Williams says the incident is now part of a lawsuit that was shared with media in Utah.

“This experience continues to remind me of the importance of always striving to create a safe and welcoming campus environment for all students, faculty and staff,” Williams added.

The lawsuit was filed by three Utah Tech employees who are part of the university’s Office of Equity and Compliance & Title IX. Two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are female, one is black and the third plaintiff is male. Williams is among 20 defendants named in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit states that the plaintiffs have worked hard over the past few years to create a non-discriminatory environment at Utah Tech, but they have encountered intense resistance, intimidation and discrimination in their ongoing attempts to develop Utah Tech’s leadership ranks , Harassment, Abuse and Retaliation about the University’s policies regarding discrimination and harassment, including Title IX and Title VII, and to ensure compliance with them.

The incident Williams mentioned to MSU students is detailed in the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, on November 8, 2023, Williams placed various vegetables shaped like male genitalia on the porch of a vice president who was recovering from surgery.

The lawsuit says Williams then left a note for the vice president along with the vegetables, saying it was from the three plaintiffs. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs knew nothing about it and did not agree to its inclusion in the letter.

The note read: “Dear Jordan, we wish you all the best as you recover from your outpatient procedure. We thought some delicious produce from our garden would help you in your recovery. Here are two delicious eggplants and our award-winning zucchini, or as we like to call it, our “Zuw***ie”. All the best for your recovery.”

This is followed by “Yours sincerely” and the names of the three plaintiffs. The lawsuit also says two of the names were misspelled.

According to the lawsuit, Williams told his chief of staff earlier in the day that he planned to drop off a gift for the vice president and suggested it would be something funny that they could laugh about afterward.

That vice president, who leads Utah Tech’s marketing and communications team, then texted Williams with the picture of the gift, the letter and the doorbell recordings, asking if it was him.

According to the lawsuit, the doorbell footage shows a man wearing a hoodie that covers his face while making the delivery. However, Williams denied having any knowledge of the delivery.

The vice president then surveyed other senior employees about it before creating a group chat with his 11-person marketing and communications team and sending them the picture of the vegetable and the note.

The lawsuit says the vice president shared the image even days after the incident with several people with ties to the three plaintiffs, and even shared it during a Board of Trustees luncheon that included the trustees as well as several University employees and the administration was present.

This vice president and other university leaders spoke to one of the plaintiffs at lunch and joked with him about the matter, even though the plaintiff was not involved.

“Plaintiff was shocked, embarrassed and humiliated by this unexpected encounter in the presence of a group of administrators above him on campus and two vice presidents of Utah Tech. Despite the power imbalance, plaintiff attempted to make it clear to this large group of members and directors of the Utah Tech Cabinet that he and the other members of the OGC and the Title IX Office had nothing to do with this offensive act and that they would not have anything to do with it ever do it,” the lawsuit says.

The plaintiffs then reported the vegetable incident to the Human Resources Manager at Utah Tech.

The lawsuit states that in December 2023, the university’s legal counsel contacted the plaintiffs and informed them that their Title IX complaints against Williams had been dismissed due to Williams’ resignation as president, so they have not been filed since his departure were responsible for Williams.

Williams was named MSU president in March of this year after a national search following the resignation of Clif Smart. He began his position in July and the university officially named Williams president on Oct. 17.

The lawsuit further details Title IX complaints and other discrimination and harassment complaints from the various 20 defendants.

The three plaintiffs are requesting that the incidents in the lawsuit be tried by a jury. The plaintiffs are also seeking economic and non-pecuniary damages caused by the defendants, as well as other court-related fees.

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