Five Fox School District administrators allegedly have posted what an attorney calls libelous comments about district residents on the Arnold Topix website.
Three of those administrators are “very high level” ones, and another is a current assistant principal and the fifth is a retired assistant principal, attorney Dan Herman said today (May 30).
Herman represents three district residents – Sam Ferry, Richard Simpson Jr. and Michelle Tyler, all of Arnold – who are suing the people who made the comments on Arnold Topix.
The three “are the victims of a vicious cyber-defamation campaign that was waged on www.topix.com from January 15, 2013, through May 15, 2013,” the lawsuit says.
The posts were made under fictitious names, but Herman said he got a court order compelling Internet providers AT&T and Charter to release the names associated with the IP addresses for the computers used to make the comments about his clients, and he has received them.
Herman said AT&T and Charter have notified the five administrators that their names were released to him.
The lawsuit was filed in February 2014 in the Jefferson County Circuit Court, and the defendant was listed as “John Doe,” since the posts were made anonymously, under names like “Newbie,” Troop 5 or 6” and “Finally the truth.”
Now that the administrators allegedly have been identified as the posters, they apparently will be named in the suit, although Herman would not confirm that today.
Hermann would not say how much money his defendants are seeking in the lawsuit, but it says they are asking for “damages for pain and suffering, psychological and emotional injury, humiliation, loss of income, costs, and expenses; for punitive damages to punish defendant’s outrageous conduct; and for such other and further relief as to this court seems just and proper.”
Ferry, Simpson and Tyler would not comment about the case.
Fox Superintendent Dianne Critchlow could not be reached today for comment but responded by email saying she is on family medical leave.
Herman said his clients are suing because the comments made about them are untrue and damaging.
“The people responsible for posting these horrific accusations did so with the intent of harming the reputations and lives of my clients,” he said. “And, they did so in retaliation for their criticism of the Fox school board and administration.
“My clients were called pedophiles and accused of engaging in bestiality, possessing child pornography and of homosexuality.”
Ferry said he worked as a custodian in the district for about eight years before he was fired approximately two years ago.
Simpson is the son of former Fox district administrator Richard Simpson, after which Simpson Elementary School is named.
Both men and Tyler have criticized the district for alleged nepotism, lack of transparency or other issues.
Ferry and Simpson frequently attend school board meetings asking school officials to be more open with school records and data.
Ferry has asked the board to record its meetings so they can be posted online.
Simpson also has criticized the district for not doing enough to protect children with food allergies.