Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Judge to determine whether C. J. Huff can keep closed session information secret

A motions hearing in the wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by former Royal Heights Principal Larry Masters against Joplin R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff and former assistant superintendents Angie Besendorfer and Steve Doerr will be held 11:45 a.m. Thursday before Judge Gayle Crane in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Judge Crane will rule on motions made by Joplin attorney Karl Blanchard, representing Huff and the former R-8 administrators, to use information from Masters' personnel file, and by Masters' attorney Raymond Lampert of Springfield, to make the officials reveal what took place behind the closed doors of an R-8 Board of Education to make the board rescind its contract offer to Masters.

Blanchard, , in court documents, says that his clients do not have to say a word about anything that was said during a closed session of the Board of Education.

Masters was rehired as Royal Heights principal for the 2010-2011 school year, but following a closed session of the board that offer was rescinded. Masters says that lies were told about him that caused him to lose his job.

Blanchard says it doesn't matter. In an objection to interrogatories posed by Masters' lawyer, Raymond Lampert of Springfield, Blanchard says the questions "seek information relating to a closed meeting, which means any discussions were confidential."

The same argument, word for word, was used in the objections for Huff, Besendorfer, and Doerr.

Blanchard has also asked the judge to set a trial date. Lampert objected, indicating it is hard to be ready for trial when the defendants are refusing to answer pertinent questions.

"The defendants have not yet answered discovery and their responses may bring to light information that may lead to the amending of pleadings," Lampert said.
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For sale on Amazon and at Always Buying Books, Changing Hands Book Shop, and Vintage Stock on the Mall- the book that started C. J. Huff's recent problems (and mine, too, for that matter)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Left side o mouth: openess, communication, and transparency.

Right side if mouth: BOE members must feel free to speak their mind without scrutiny. Privledged people demand privledged speech.

It should be a fish bowl, not Fort Knox. What other employees demand this kind of privacy?

Anonymous said...

Was the comments made behind closed session released to Mr. Masters?!

Randy said...

Nothing has been posted yet.