Former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., Ohio State and other defendants sued after scandal regarding Carter’s resignation. Credit: Sandra Fu | Lantern File Photo.
Roughly four months after former university president Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. resigned, an app developer is suing Carter, Ohio State, JobsOhio, Krisanthe Vlachos and her company, VetEarnUSA, claiming they intentionally disrupted the company’s business relationships.
Vet Mentor AI – a technology company that uses artificial intelligence to help veterans access employment opportunities, education and other benefits – claims it was purposefully excluded from business deals because of the actions of Carter and Vlachos, with whom Carter said he had an “inappropriate relationship,” according to legal complaints that were filed on June 26 in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
“Following Mr. Carter’s resignation on March 7, 2026, JobsOhio personnel published multiple defamatory statements against Vet Mentor in writing and through numerous electronic, written, visual, internet, and other national and international media sources, including media within Ohio and in England, New York, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Virginia, and elsewhere, and continues to publish defamatory statements against Vet Mentor in the same manner through the present, which directly and proximately caused and continues to cause reputational harm to Vet Mentor,” according to court documents.
Vet Mentor claims that Carter and Vlachos met with them regarding how to utilize the website and walked them through the various tools of the website on June 17, 2025. After that meeting, the complaint states Carter helped Vlachos connect with multiple university employees in efforts to find funding for the proposed project.
The company also claims that in September 2025, Vlachos had multiple talks with Vet Mentor to discuss how to obtain funding to advance their venture, with support and guidance from Carter.?
Vlachos also claimed that she could get Carter to introduce her to Les Wexner, chairman of the Wexner Medical Center board, per prior Lantern reporting.
“Ms. Vlachos stated with certainty that she could get Mr. Carter to set up an introduction with Les Wexner, a significant and influential donor to OSU, and subsequent meeting with him to discuss Mr. Wexner’s potential purchase of the technology Vet Mentor was developing around the Vet Mentor AI platform, and as an option, if Wexner purchased Vet Mentor’s technology and/or Vet Mentor itself, at the time valued at $5-$6 million dollars, Mr. Hylenski [Vet Mentor’s founder and CEO] would stay on as Chief Technical Officer,” the complaint states.
On Nov. 1 2025, Vlachos texted Hylenski to say that Carter had met with Wexner and that, at the OSU football game that day, he would be discussing and scheduling a future meeting with Wexner about the Vet Mentor venture.
Wexner’s attorney stated that he never discussed the idea with anyone at the school.?
Three days after the text message occurred, Hylenski, Carter and Vlachos met to create a successful pitch to get Wexner involved in the venture, according to the complaint.
“On November 4, 2025, Mr. Hylenski met with Mr. Carter and Ms. Vlachos, at which time Mr. Carter discussed how they could build a succinct pitch to get Mr. Wexner’s attention and stimulate Mr. Wexner’s interest in investing in the Vet Mentor venture, as well as how that technology would benefit OSU’s Wexner medical facilities across Ohio,” the document states.?
It is unknown if and when the defendants had an official meeting with Wexner.
In December 2025, Vlachos and Carter met over Zoom with JobsOhio’s Chief of Staff Phil Greenberg without the presence of anyone from Vet Mentor. Carter and Vlachos told JobsOhio not to work with Vet Mentor “unless and until Vet Mentor acquiesced to Ms. Vlachos’ demands for the ownership and structure of the venture,” according to the complaint document.
Greenberg agreed and confirmed he had followed Vlacho’s request.
Carter regularly had meetings with university employees and he and Vlachos met with university officials to potentially build a platform that “mirrored” Vet Mentor, according to the complaint document.
The university and JobsOhio declined to comment on the pending litigation. Vet Mentor and Vlachos did not respond in time for publication. Carter could not be reached for comment.
Carter abruptly resigned on March 7, just two years into his four-year tenure, citing an inappropriate relationship with Vlachos, who was the host of a military and veteran podcast, “The Callout Podcast,” per prior Lantern reporting.
A university investigation report found that over Carter’s two years of serving he misused his authority to make efforts to advance Vlacho’s business interests.?
According to the complainant document, as a direct and proximate cause of JobsOhio’s multiple false and defamatory statements about Vet Mentor, the company claims that it has suffered more than $25,0000 in compensatory economic and non-economic damages, plus punitive damages, fees, costs and attorney fees, all to be proven at trial.
