Emory Tibbs Jr. out as Sparrow Health System CEO following sexual assault allegations
Megan Banta
LANSING – Emory Tibbs, Jr. is no longer chief executive officer of Sparrow Health.
A news release said Tibbs "is no longer employed by Sparrow Health System."
Sparrow's board put Tibbs on paid administrative leave on March 13 following accusations from a Virginia woman that he solicited sex for money and then assaulted her while he was an official at a Virginia hospital system.
John Truscott, who is speaking on behalf of Sparrow for this issue, said he "can't get into details" about whether Tibbs left voluntarily or not.
"The system is moving on," he said.
Board members will meet "in the near future to determine the timeline and next steps for replacement."
"Sparrow Caregivers, Physicians and Volunteers remain focused on providing excellent care to our community as they have done for the last 123 years and will never waver from that commitment," the Thursday afternoon release says.
'A smart move'
Stephanie Hale, a former employee of Centra Health, where Tibbs was CEO before coming to Michigan to lead Sparrow, filed the lawsuit against Tibbs and Centra on March 11.
Hale said in the lawsuit that she participated in a sting that her ex-boyfriend, Robert Peters, arranged in order to avoid harassment from Peters.
Peters planned the sting to expose Tibbs, who had been sending Hale sexually suggestive emails using a fake name, the lawsuit said.
Paul Valois, Hale's lawyer, said she doesn't have a personal vendetta against him but thinks it's a "smart move" for Tibbs to be out, whether voluntarily or not.
"She just feels that’s important that he not hold that position of authority until he addresses his obvious problems," Valois said, adding that Hale is still pursuing her lawsuit in Lynchburg Circuit Court. "It's a sad situation."
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Sparrow Health places CEO Emory Tibbs Jr. on paid leave after sexual assault allegations
Sparrow Health places CEO Emory Tibbs Jr. on paid leave after sexual assault allegations
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Contact reporter Megan Banta at (517) 377-1261 or mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.