Campus Crest Communities CEO Ted Rollins Takes Vindictiveness To All New Levels

Sarah and Emma Rollins, on one of
their father's private jets, with
music star Rosanne Cash

If you have followed our coverage of the Rollins v. Rollins divorce case, you might think that Campus Crest Communities CEO Ted Rollins could not go any lower. But you would be wrong.

We have shown that Rollins caused his ex wife and two daughters to be horrifically cheated in a divorce case that could not lawfully be heard here in Alabama; that's because Sherry Carroll Rollins had initiated a divorce action in South Carolina, where the family lived, and it had been litigated there for three years. Ted Rollins and his billionaire cousin, R. Randall Rollins of Atlanta, almost certainly committed perjury in order to minimize Ted's child-support payments. And we know that Ted Rollins was convicted for assaulting his stepson in 1995, and that came on the heels of a North Carolina social-services investigation of possible sexual abuse involving the same stepson.

That all emits a nasty odor, but we learned this morning that Ted Rollins can go lower still. I received an e-mail from Sherry Rollins, stating that her vehicle was on the verge of collapse and needed about $1,000 worth of repairs. The vehicle was provided to her after the divorce case, and documents show it belongs to Bradley Arant, Ted Rollins' corporate law firm in Birmingham.

Why is Sherry Rollins driving a vehicle owned by Bradley Arant, and why hasn't someone at the law firm ensured that it remains in operating condition? I've not been able to obtain an answer to that question. But Sherry Rollins says her ex husband has been notified about the needed repairs and has refused to pay for them. That means oldest daughter, Sarah Rollins, who was home on fall break from University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, has been unable to return to school. That means youngest daughter, Emma Rollins, must walk to school and cancel music lessons.

Sherry Rollins goes on to state that the water and electricity are due to be shut off soon at her home in Birmingham because the bills have not been paid. Again, Ted Rollins has ignored pleas for help.

Is this retaliation against Sherry and Sarah Rollins because they have spoken out on this blog about Ted Rollins' abusive actions in the past? It sure looks that way.

It's not that Ted Rollins can't afford to help his ex wife and two daughters. He is CEO of a company that completed a $380-million Wall Street IPO in late 2010. A South Carolina judge established during the divorce case that Ted Rollins belongs to one of the nation's wealthiest families and routinely travels in private jet craft. I'm aware of vacation/business trips he has taken to Jamaica; Monaco; France; Lake Tahoe, Nevada; and Sundance, Utah, in the past year or so.

Sherry Rollins, of course, would not need her ex husband's help if she had received lawful treatment in the divorce case. She receives $500 a month in alimony, $815 a month in child support (total, for two children) and got pretty much nothing in terms of marital assets that should have been equitably divided in court.

Here is a portion of Sherry Rollins' e-mail that I received this morning:

We are now without a car and I can never go get Sarah again at school. . . . 

I presume that this is the end. The water gets cut off on October 22 and the bill has not been paid for two months. The electricity is scheduled for cut off also. 

I guess this is the end for Emma and me. I don't know what to do. . . . 

I will take a cab tomorrow and try to get the car back and drive it home and try to find someone to fix the brakes cheaper and put on a power steering belt and I will go and sell an old ring I have for the gold in it. I don't know if they will give the car back to me or not. He may tell them to keep it. . . . 

There is more to come. I will lose Emma and be homeless next. They have never refused to keep a car on the road before.

Is this the standard thuggish behavior of America's "1 Percent"? Is this the sort of disdain for regular folks that Mitt Romney unknowingly revealed at his "47 Percent fundraiser" in Boca Raton, Florida. Is this the sort of treatment all of us can expect if the power of ruling elites goes unchecked?

I sent an e-mail to Ted Rollins this morning and gave him an opportunity to explain himself. I copied the e-mail to Dawn Sharff, one of his lawyers at Bradley Arant. I also copied representatives from two of the underwriters on Campus Crest's IPO--Paula Poskon, of Robert W. Baird and Associates, and Vick Seth, of Raymond James. I invited all of these individuals to respond to questions about Ted Rollins' abusive actions toward his ex wife and two children. None of them has responded.

Here is a copy of the e-mail I sent to Ted Rollins and his associates:

Ted: 

I understand that the car you and Bradley Arant have provided for your ex wife, Sherry Carroll Rollins, has broken down and needs major repairs--and that you refuse to pay for them. 

I further understand that this means your oldest daughter, Sarah Rollins, cannot return to school at the University of the South and your youngest daughter, Emma Rollins, now has to walk to school here in Birmingham.

Finally, I understand that utilities are about to be shut off at the home where Ms. Rollins and your children reside--and you have given no indication that you intend to do anything about it. 

A few questions for you, given that you are CEO of a publicly traded company that provides housing for other people's children: 

* If you treat your own children and their mother in such an abusive fashion, why should anyone entrust their child to a facility that is built and managed by your company, Campus Crest Communities? 

* Do you intend to see that your children and their mother are homeless, with no transportation? Is this the outcome you were seeking when you filed an unlawful lawsuit for divorce in Shelby County, Alabama? 

* Is this the kind of "leadership" and "vision" that investors and underwriters in Campus Crest Communities can expect? Is this what consumers can expect from your company? 

* You have affiliated yourself with taxpayer-funded universities around the country. Is this a reflection of how you intend to interact with students and administrators at campuses where your company operates? Is this an indicator of how you plan to uphold your obligations to top officials at institutions that have allowed Campus Crest into their communities? Are you reliable and trustworthy or are you vindictive and petty? 

* Since the vehicle in question belongs to Bradley Arant, your corporate law firm, why have they not ensured that it is kept in a condition to operate? 

I intend to write a post on this subject in about one hour. I also welcome comment from key underwriters of your company. If any of you care to respond to these questions, please do so by 9:30 a.m. CDT. 

Thank you,

Roger Shuler