PORT ST. LUCIE — Less than a year after Bill Powers took the job to lead The Nation Christian Academy’s post-graduate football program, he filed a lawsuit alleging he wasn’t paid for his work, court records show.

The suit names the private nonprofit school, whose name since has been changed back to Barnabas Christian Academy, and Michael Woodbury, whom various state records list as either CEO, owner, president, registered agent or basketball coach.

Powers, who resigned in November as head coach and director of football operations, declined to comment Thursday on the Jan. 30 lawsuit, which states the "amount in dispute" is greater than $15,000.

More:Powers provided extensive information in this TCPalm interview

The suit says under Powers' March 8 agreement with the school, he was to be paid a quarterly commission on the 58 players he recruited, which should have generated over $357,000, of which at least $100,000 had been collected as of September.

Powers still has not been paid for his work, the suit says, echoing his statements to TCPalm in its Dec. 7 investigation into the school and owner Michael Woodbury.

"As a result, Mr. Powers was forced to tender his services and pay costs and expenses out of pocket for the benefit of (The Nation Christian Academy)," the suit states.

Alter ego of Michael Woodbury

“The Nation Christian Academy is the alter ego of Michael Woodbury,” the suit says, adding the school “is not organized and existing under the law of the State of Florida.”

The Florida Department of Education, which conducted a site visit Wednesday, said its initial review of state-mandated records shows compliance with state laws and policies.

DOE's visit was preceded by TCPalm's extensive public records request to the agency for its ongoing investigation into the school and its owner.

The school is in The Market Place of Port St. Lucie, a commercial plaza on the east side of U.S. 1 just north of Port St. Lucie Boulevard. Other businesses in the plaza include Aaron's, Dollar Tree and Pho Now Vietnamese restaurant.

The new owner, who bought the plaza Dec. 19, began legal proceedings to evict the school Feb. 1, claiming Woodbury owes over $40,000 in rent, court records show.

When a TCPalm reporter visited the school office Thursday morning, a man who would not give his name appeared from a back office and declined comment.

Woodbury and Ray Askew, a top school administrator, also declined to comment to a TCPalm reporter who called them Wednesday.

TCPalm has been investigating the school since the Oct. 31 publication of a story revealing YouTube audio of Woodbury berating and threatening a student from Haiti who lived with him and was on one of the school's basketball teams.

TCPalm sports reporter Jon Santucci contributed to this report.

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