Villanova Dean Resigns, Is Implicated in Prostitution Bust

Villanova Dean Mark Sargent announced his resignation on Monday, effective immediately, for "personal and medical reasons."  Yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

Police investigating a prostitution ring in Chester County relied on two customers, including the dean of Villanova Law School, to provide information that culminated last week in a no-contest plea by the man promoting the business, documents show.

Mark A. Sargent, who was appointed dean in 1987, resigned suddenly Monday, citing personal and medical reasons.

According to a report by the Pennsylvania State Police, Sargent was a customer at a Kennett Township house suspected as a site for prostitution when police raided it Nov. 25. He was not charged.

The Rev. Peter Donohue, the Villanova University president, was out of town yesterday and unavailable for comment, said Jonathan Gust, university spokesman. Gust said that the university had accepted Sargent's resignation and that he would not be returning to the faculty. He declined comment on Sargent's involvement in the prostitution bust. ...

In 2004, Sargent authored an article in the Villanova Law Review titled "Lawyers in the Moral Maze," which focuses on why corporate lawyers often engage in behavior that violates their own ethics. 

• ABA Journal
• Above the Law

Update: Mirror of Justice, Our Prayers, Love, and Support Are With Mark Sargent:

Our friend and colleague, Mark Sargent, resigned this week as dean of Villanova University School of Law under very painful circumstances. Our prayers, love, and support are with Mark and his family in this difficult time. We pray for healing for Mark and for all those who have been touched by the life of this remarkable and talented man.