Waterbury Republican-American
The Lying Lawyer,
Chinni Chinni Ko-Ko Bop,
Acts As Mouthpiece
And / Or
Contemplates A Defense
BACKGROUND:
Niehoff was suspended for two days without pay last month after an e-mail surfaced that she wrote to a Wisconsin man, who criticized the school’s handling of the Doninger case, which has drawn nationwide attention.
Niehoff’s letter is loaded with unsubstantiated and undocumented allegations about Doninger ...
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Principal faces libel suit
Mills alumna alleges e-mail comments were ‘false’
LAWSUIT: Student privacy rights cited
BY MEGAN BRODERICK
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
July 25, 2008
A libel lawsuit is in the works against Lewis S. Mills High School Principal Karissa Niehoff for comments she made about a former student who sued her in federal court alleging free speech violations.
Jon Schoenhorn, a Hartford attorney representing Avery Doninger, said on Thursday they have served notice to Niehoff thatshe will be sued for libel “for the false things she said to people about Avery.”
A formal lawsuit has not been filed, yet, and Schoenhorn declined to give details about when and where the suit might be filed. Doninger filed a free speech lawsuit in federal court last year against Niehoff and former Region 10 Superintendent of Schools Paula Schwartz. Doninger, who graduated this year, was banned from running for re-election as class secretary after calling administrators “douche bags” on her personal blog when she was a junior. Region 10 covers the towns of Burlington and Harwinton; the high school is in Burlington.
Niehoff did not return a call seeking comment on Thursday.
Christine Chinni, an Avon attorney representing the principal in the free speech suit, said she could not comment on the libel suit because it is pending litigation.
Niehoff was suspended for two days without pay last month after an e-mail surfaced that she wrote to a Wisconsin man, who criticized the school’s handling of the Doninger case, which has drawn nationwide attention.
In part, Niehoff’s e-mail, written May 31, read: “Before this incident, Avery had repeatedly been warned by her class adviser to stop calling the student council adviser and members names during junior class meetings. Thus, this was not the first incident of its kind with Avery.”
Current Region 10 Superintendent Alan Beitman ordered Niehoff’s suspension because the e-mail violated student privacy rights.
That particular e-mail, in addition to two others, were the main reasons the Doningers decided on a lawsuit, said Avery’s mother, Lauren Doninger, on Thursday.
“It’s not a decision we made lightly,” Lauren Doninger said. “I think the irony is too overwhelming, that Avery, at age 16, made some ill-considered remarks and sent them into cyberspace, and she was punished relentlessly. The principal effectively does exactly the same thing. Does she expect no consequences?”
Beitman, who was not superintendent when this case began, did not return a call for comment.
Staff writer George Krimsky contributed to this report.
School Bosses
Escape Fines
For Hiding
Write-In Ballots
In Stolen Election
Freedom Of Information Report.
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