The superintendent of a West Valley school district has filed a lawsuit accusing a state lawmaker of defamation. It’s the latest stage of a long feud between the two officials.
Tolleson Union High School District Superintendent Jeremy Calles is suing Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix).
It all started last year, when Calles helped broker a deal between his district and the Isaac school district in Phoenix. Isaac was having financial issues, but entered a lease purchase agreement with Tolleson for $25 million, which they’re gradually paying back.
Gress had been working on an alternative legislative solution to the Isaac situation and saw the Tolleson deal as “predatory,” and called it illegal.
Calles insisted that he wasn’t paid as part of the agreement.
Calles said in his lawsuit that Gress intentionally defamed him and interfered with his personal consulting business by making clients wary of working with him.
Calles is the sole employee of a consulting company that advises school districts.
He said multiple third parties ended their relationships with his business.
“Tyler Moore, a long-time consultant affiliated with the LLC and Chief Financial Officer of Mesa Unified School District, informed Mr. Calles that his superintendent directed him to discontinue his association with the LLC following public criticism of Plaintiffs arising from Representative Gress’s statements. Mr. Moore subsequently ceased consulting through the LLC. Fountain Hills Unified School District also terminated consulting services involving the LLC during the same time period. … On information and belief, these terminations occurred as a result of Representative Gress’s public accusations that Plaintiffs engaged in illegal or corrupt conduct,” the complaint stated.
What’s more, Calles is claiming that Gress did it on purpose.
“Representative Gress’s conduct was undertaken with the intent to disrupt Plaintiffs’ consulting relationships and business opportunities,” the complaint stated.
Calles served Gress with a notice of claim back in October, but made the lawsuit official in April.
Calles is asking for a jury trial and seeking damages from Gress.
Gress said the lawsuit appears to be nothing more than a “pathetic attempt” to undermine oversight by the legislature.
“I look forward to the discovery process,” Gress said in a text. “Hopefully, we finally get access to the district’s expenditures, which we have been waiting on for months now. Either way, this meritless lawsuit won’t prevent me from doing my statutory duty to provide oversight over Arizona’s political subdivisions.”
Gress requested Tolleson’s financial records several months ago but refused to pay the $26,000 the district demanded to fulfill his request.
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