Samuel Hillel Benjamin, a former headmaster of the private school founded by "A Walk To Remember" author Nicholas Sparks, accused the author of being racist and homophobic after he left his position when the school board found out that he was recruiting black teachers and students and, sought to protect a group of homosexual students from being bullied.

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Benjamin is suing Sparks in a federal lawsuit, claiming that the author made religiously and racially dismissive remarks while he was still the school's headmaster.

The former headmaster claimed that Sparks and the other Conservative Christian board members frowned upon talk of other religions such as Islam and Judaism during school functions, with Sparks stating "That's not what our parents want to hear."

Benjamin also accused Sparks of frowning upon the fact that he attended one NAACP event to recruit black students, saying that he should look for less visible or publicized ways of meeting with African-Americans.

He stated that after Sparks had locked him in a room to shout at him for defending a group of bullied gay students, Benjamin shared that he decided to resign from his post because he feared for his life.

In his lawsuit, Benjamin is seeking compensation for lost income as well as punitive damages against Sparks, three other members of the board of The Epiphany School of Global Studies, and the Nicholas Sparks Foundation.

As stated in the lawsuit, Benjamin had four-year contracts with both the school and the foundation and, he was supposed to earn $256,000 per year exclusive of bonuses and benefits.

According to Benjamin's attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, "Apparently, despite the efforts our society has made, Mr. Sparks wants to travel back in time and vilify those who promote diversity and tolerance of all people regardless of their sexual orientation and race.

Sparks' attorney, Theresa Sprain, denied the allegations.

In a statement released by the author's publicist, entertainment attorney Scott Schwimer, defended Sparks, sharing, "As a gay, Jewish man who has represented Nick for almost 20 years I find these allegations completely ludicrous and offensive.