He claims he had nothing to do with it himself and that he doesn't know anything about any plot by his former assistant superintendent, Angie Besendorfer, to remove Masters from his position after he had already been offered a contract to serve as principal for the 2010-2011 school year.
"This defendant is unable to read the mind of Dr. Besendorfer and therefore does not know what she knew or did not know," Huff's lawyer Karl Blanchard of the law firm of Blanchard, Robertson, Mitchell and Carter PC, wrote in Huff's response to the Masters lawsuit filed Wednesday in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Blanchard also notes that Huff cannot read the mind of the other co-defendant in the case, former Assistant Superintendent Steve Doerr.
Huff denies every claim in the Masters lawsuit, except that he was superintendent of the Joplin R-8 School District when Masters was demoted. (Because he was a tenured teacher, Masters remained with the school district in another capacity.)
"To the best knowledge and belief of defendant, any decision by the Joplin School Board to rescind its offer to rehire plaintiff as a principal was based on facts and information gathered and presented by individuals other than defendant and that said facts and information justified the rescinsion of the contract."
Huff also claims that he has absolute immunity from being sued, due to sovereign immunity and the Public Duty Doctrine.
Huff also claims the Masters lawsuit is "frivolous and in bad faith." He is asking that Masters pay for his attorney fees.
4 comments:
Every parent of the girls that computer guy had pictures of should sue as well!
And the parents of the boys who the English teacher preyed on ...
Your a superintendent Huff, not a foreign diplomat.
Does he believe he rules by divine right? That might explain his delusional behavior, believing that if he wants to do it (like a 6.5 mile ribbon or 8 million in frivolous spending) he is entitled. People like that never believe theyre wrong, even with the proof staring them in the face. It is always someone else's fault if things don't work out. That's why he sulks up when anyone contradicts him with the truth. He doesn't have a clue how to handle criticism or failure. They need to just fire him.
I'm sure he does expect Masters to pay for his lawyer. He isn't used to picking up the tab for anything. Other people pay for his expenses.
Typical CJ, blame it on somebody else. There is such a thing as knowing what your direct reports are doing and, if you don't know, should know.
Missouri appellate courts have historically ruled that Public Duty Doctrine covers the Board of Education (elected public officials) but doesn't extend to superintendents. I hope that is the true with this case as it would give me a great deal of pleasure to see him taken down a notch or ten. Seeing him gone would be even better.
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