PBA, YMCA leader left previous job for ‘moral’ indiscretions
Leuliette alleged to have downloaded porn, solicited prostitutes.
WEST PALM BEACH — Timothy Leuliette, a trustee at Palm Beach Atlantic University, has taken a leave of absence after a published report that he was forced to leave his previous job for allegedly soliciting prostitutes and downloading pornography on computers belonging to his employer.
Leuliette, 68, is also board president for the YMCA of the Palm Beaches. YMCA officials did not respond to telephone and email messages seeking comment on Leuliette’s status.
The allegations against Leuliette were revealed Monday by The Detroit News.
Records obtained by the newspaper showed that Leuliette received a $16.7 million severance package from Visteon, an automotive electronics supplier based in Michigan, after he was pushed out as the company’s CEO in June 2015. If not for the allegations, Leuliette could have received a $61 million payout.
An arbitrator, the report said, found that Leuliette’s firing was justified “based on his downloading pornography on to company computers, posting obscene messages and pictures on social media, storing obscene photographs on company devices, viewing websites concerning prostitution and soliciting prostitutes.”
arbitrator, A document Martin filed C. by Weis- the man, states that a sexu- al-harassment charge made against Leuliette before he became the chief executive at Visteon was settled by the company. No other details of either the harassment charge or settlement were included. PBA spokeswoman Becky Peeling said the West Palm Beach-based university learned Tuesday of the news- paper article detailing the allegations against Leuliette.
By Thursday, Leuliette had taken a leave, Peeling said. No further details were provided.
YMCA Executive Director Lisa Fisher said Tuesday the organization’s board of directors “just became aware” of the allegations and had taken the situation “under advisement.” She could not be reached for comment either Wednesday or Thursday.
Trustees at PBA serve in an unpaid capacity, Peeling said. The official duties of a trustee are numerous and include assessing the university president’s performance, approving budgets, authorizing major expenditures and to “safeguard the unique purposes of the University as a Christian university ...”
A 2016 tax filing by YMCA of the Palm Beaches shows that Leuliette served as an unpaid vice chairman. The organization’s CEO also works in an unpaid position.
Leuliette could not be reached for comment.
Leuliette, who lives in West Palm Beach with his wife, was named to PBA’s Board of Trustees in April, according to the university’s website.
In May, Leuliette was named board chairman and chief volunteer officer for the YMCA of the Palm Beaches after serving as the organization’s vice chairman in 2016.
During an arbitration hearing in 2016 to settle his severance payout with Visteon, Leuliette stated the “obscene” material found on his work computer appeared after “syncing” his home’s electronic devices with those he used on the job. Weisman found that Leuliette’s response was “not credible.” Visteon’s board members cited five reasons in October 2015 for Leuliette’s dismissal, including obtaining reimbursement for a family trip to Israel and spending significant time away from company headquarters, the report said. In May 2016, Visteon told Leuliette it had uncovered two more reasons for his dismissal, referring to the allegations involving downloading pornography and soliciting prostitutes.
Weisman ruled that the board’s initial five reasons were insufficient cause for dismissal, but found there was legitimate reason for the firing because of the pornography and prostitution claims.
“A CEO of a major stock exchange com p any has a high moral standard to uphold and this conduct was inconsistent with that standard as well as the written policies of Visteon,” Weisman wrote, according to the report. “The threat of exposure of this conduct for such a CEO is damage enough.”
Leuliette sought a severance payout of $61 million, but Weisman ruled that Visteon was not obligated to satisfy the request because of the allegations
Before his firing, Leuliette had served as Visteon’s chief executive since 2010.
Visteon spokesman Jim Fisher said Wednesday the company had no comment.