It also alleges that three top administrators conspired to ruin a principal's character and cost him his job.
The action, filed by former Royal Heights Principal Larry Masters, charges Huff and former Assistant Superintendents Angie Besendorfer and Stephen Doerr with "making false representations about plaintiff and plaintiff's character to the Joplin Schools Board of Education."
The four-count petition, includes individual counts of tortious interference against Besendorfer, Doerr, and Huff and a civil conspiracy count against all three.
The civil conspiracy count reads as follows:
"Defendants knew that the Board of Education had voted to offer Plaintiff continued employment as a principal.
"Defendants intended for the Joplin Schools Board of Education to rescind its offer of continued employment as a principal to the plaintiff.
"Defendants had a meeting of the minds on the aforesaid object.
"Defendants knowingly made false and injurious statements to the Board of Education about Plaintiff's conduct and character.
:"As a result of the defendants' actions and statements, the Board of Education rescinded its offer to Plaintiff.
"As a result of defendants' actions, Plaintiff has suffered damages, including lost wages, mental and emotional distress.
"Defendants' actions were willful, wanton, and made with the knowledge that they would cause damage to the plaintiff."
Masters is asking for "damages, including lost wages, mental and emotional damage, punitive damages, the costs of this action, and to grant such other and further relief as the court deems just and proper."
The lawsuit was filed as a replacement for an earlier action in which only Besendorfer was named as a defendant. That action was dismissed eight days ago by Judge David Dally at the request of Masters' attorney, Raymond Lampert of Springfield.
The first lawsuit was hampered by interference from the Huff Administration, which had Board of Education Attorney John Nicholas intervene, requesting that he be permitted to be at all depositions and that no witnesses be allowed to talk about anything that happened during a closed board session.
The Board of Education does not appear to have anything to do with Nicholas' actions since no meetings were held between the time a deposition was scheduled for Board Member Jim Kimbrough and Nicholas' motion to intervene.
In the last filing made before the first lawsuit was dismissed, Lampert asked that Besendorfer be required to answer questions about what she said or what had been said by others during those closed sessions since she was not on the board and thus could not be covered by the rules that govern school board members.
8 comments:
As parent of Royal Heights children under Mr. Masters and still currently, I have to say, every single parent that I have ever talked to liked Mr. Masters very much, and all were shocked at his removal from the school and district. Still to this day, the school is not the same without him. I hope he see's justice here.
Wish that some of us could jump on his lawsuit and make it a mass lawsuit.....
Thanks for this information Randy. If it were not for you, we'd never know about half of what is going on with R8. I do not expect the Globe to report this until CJ gives them the article he wants printed.
Masters is STILL employed by the district. A very wise man.
I guess Angie and her colleagues should have strived harder to do the right thing. I hope she and her partners in crime lose big time. They are contemptible people. It's past time the truth came out about all of their shady dealings.
"Even their strongest detractors must surely agree that the leadership by both Mark Rohr and C J Huff was remarkable and outstanding in almost every respect immediately after the tornado." - I am one of the strongest detractors and I certainly do not agree that the leadership of Mark Rohr was remarkable and outstanding (well, maybe negatively). On the first clear morning after the tornado, I had to wait in line to get a permit to go to my own house. By the time the church volunteers had their permits, the rain started again. The roadblocks to rebuilding were so numerous that we almost decided not to, but due to our tenacity, we were not going to let Mark Rohr and the City run us off. As far as the Master Planner and the senior transitional housing project, their due diligence wasn't done in the beginning. Joplin has numerous nursing homes/licensed beds being rebuilt and new income-based housing senior apartments. There is not a need for this project.
Yes, as a former Joplin teacher, who was told they were going to be rehired, and then a week later told that they were not, because of a personality conflict with a colleague who harassed me all year, and this was noted and should have been documented by my principal, I would love to join. Along with the rest of the Joplin educators that have been wrongfully terminated.
I'm surprised the 2 TLC's in his building were not also named. They were the spies we have all been talking about.
I was in 5th grade at RH whenever Mr. Masters was removed, just before the end of the year. And I was so sad, I didn't understand. But I'm in the light now, thank you. I'm so glad the best man I've ever come to know is fighting back! Loved him!
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