A look at 5 lawsuits the Manatee County School Board could be discussing behind closed doors Tuesday
MANATEE -- For the third workshop in a row, the Manatee County School Board will meet in private with lawyers to discuss pending litigation against the board.
The board previously met behind closed doors on March 8 and March 18. After hearing an update on the redistricting between Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary and Rogers Garden Elementary starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, the board will meet behind closed doors.
The executive closed-door session is a way for the board and their lawyers to discuss recent case updates and work out legal strategies to pursue. The executive sessions are allowed under Florida's Sunshine Law and a court reporter is present. Transcripts of the meetings are available once the cases have closed but until then, the board and its legal team are the only ones who know which cases are discussed during the sessions.
Here is a look at some of the ongoing cases the board may be discussing, in the order in which they were filed:
1. Steve Gulash: A district employee and former parent liaison, Gulash was one of three employees who sued the district claiming retaliation on Aug. 21, 2014. Similar claims filed by Patricia Aragon and Adinah Torres have already been settled, with the district paying Aragon $40,000 and Torres $75,000 to settle the case. A notice from the board's lawyers on March 23 says the "matter has been settled." No amount of a settlement is listed and no settlement approval has come before the board. On March 25, Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell issued a 60-day order closing the case, dismissing it without prejudice.
2. Sarasota Security Patrol: The security company sued the district on Oct. 31, 2014, claiming a breach of contract after then-Superintendent Rick Mills canceled a contract with the company to provide security guards in Manatee County's elementary schools after just about a month of service. On March 30, 2015, then-Circuit Court Judge John Lakin dismissed the lawsuit. An amended complaint was filed on April 16, 2015. The district has responded to the amended complaint. The last movement on the case was an April 28, 2015, reply to the district's response to the amended complaint. No further updates have been logged in the court system.
3. Chad Ritchie: Ritchie, the head of Sarasota Security Patrol, sued the school board on Dec. 12, 2014, over an outstanding public records request for board
member Dave Miner's work and personal emails. Miner was a vocal critic of hiring Ritchie's company to provide security guards in Manatee County schools.
The latest update in the case, dated Feb. 11, is an emergency motion and a objection to a subpoena for Miner to be deposed, arguing that Ritchie's lawyers were asking Miner to bring materials to the deposition that may be covered under attorney-client privilege. Miner was scheduled for a deposition on Feb. 16.
At this time, it is unclear if the emergency motion was granted or if Miner had to attend the deposition. No further updates have been logged in the court system since.
4. Troy Pumphrey: After being put on paid administrative leave, Pumphrey sued the district, the board and Miner on Jan. 12, 2015, claiming race discrimination and retaliation.
With the nature of the complaint, the suit was moved from the local court system to federal court, at the request of a lawyer for Miner.
On Feb. 17, the parties held a hearing and "have reached an impasse," according to court documents. A motion was granted to give the parties more time for discovery, and a pre-trial conference is scheduled for Oct. 18.
5. Bob and Melissa Gagnon: The former Manatee High School principal and his wife first filed suit against the school board, former Superintendent Mills, former school board member Julie Aranibar, former professional standards investigator Pumphrey and current school board chairwoman Karen Carpenter on Feb. 18, 2015.
Lakin dismissed some of the claims, leaving them open to be re-filed in July 2015.
The couple refiled on Oct. 29, 2015, taking into account some of the issues Lakin raised with the original complaint.
At a hearing in January, Circuit Court Judge Stephen Dakan ruled to allow defamation and emotional distress claims to go forward, but threw out some of the other claims, leaving those open to be re-filed as well.
In February, the school board's lawyers appealed Dakan's ruling. The district court of appeals has yet to take action on the appeal.
Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter @MeghinDelaney.
This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 11:51 PM with the headline "A look at 5 lawsuits the Manatee County School Board could be discussing behind closed doors Tuesday ."