CORRECTION: AVENTURA WAS NOT REPRESENTED BY WSH LAW IN THIS CASE, MIAMI HERALD ARTICLE WAS INTERPRETED INCORRECTLY, WSH LAW WAS NOT A PARTY TO THIS CASE, AVENTURA CITY MANAGER ERIC SOROKA WAS REPRESENTED BY OTHER COUNSEL
CSUSA's Jon Hage with Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman
BULLETIN: JUDGE THROWS OUT JURY AWARD: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/07/3086441/judge-strikes-down-155-million.html#storylink=misearch
Is this a conflict for the City of Homestead by having City Attorney represent City in negotiations, contracts with CSUSA?
BY Laura Isensee
lisensee@MiamiHerald.com
The ousted principal of an Aventura charter school has won a $155 million award in a lawsuit claiming her firing was not only without cause, but ruined her health and career prospects.
The verdict came late Friday after a month-long trial and years after Katherine Murphy lost her job as principal of Aventura City of Excellence School.
But the legal case is far from over, with no certainty that Murphy will receive any of the money.
The jury sided with Murphy that Aventura City Manager Eric Soroka and the school’s registrar, Nicole Monroe, conspired to ruin her reputation and that the charter company violated an oral contract with her, among other charges.
Lawyers for Soroka and Charter Schools USA have asked Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Rosa Rodriguez to overturn the jury verdict and rule against the principal. Hearings are set for Wednesday.
“The jury verdict is contrary to the evidence presented at trial, and we are confident that Mr. Soroka’s motion will dispose of the lawsuit,” said Michael Burke, an attorney for Soroka.
The judge could also reduce the award.
The verdict came late Friday after a month-long trial and years after Katherine Murphy lost her job as principal of Aventura City of Excellence School.
But the legal case is far from over, with no certainty that Murphy will receive any of the money.
The jury sided with Murphy that Aventura City Manager Eric Soroka and the school’s registrar, Nicole Monroe, conspired to ruin her reputation and that the charter company violated an oral contract with her, among other charges.
Lawyers for Soroka and Charter Schools USA have asked Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Rosa Rodriguez to overturn the jury verdict and rule against the principal. Hearings are set for Wednesday.
“The jury verdict is contrary to the evidence presented at trial, and we are confident that Mr. Soroka’s motion will dispose of the lawsuit,” said Michael Burke, an attorney for Soroka.
The judge could also reduce the award.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/05/v-fullstory/3082757/former-aventura-charter-school.html#storylink=cpy
“Government bureaucrats without educational backgrounds have no business running schools and being supervisors to principals,” he said.
In a legal filing, Burke said none of Soroka’s comments were defamatory and noted that public officials who make statements within the scope of their duties are “absolutely immune” from defamation charges.
“The truth is that the city manager has done nothing wrong concerning Dr. Murphy, and has only acted in the best interests of the city,” said David Wolpin, an attorney with Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Cole & Boniske who represents Aventura.
Ed Pozzuoli, general counsel for Charter Schools USA, said there was no contract between the company and Murphy. “There are grounds potentially that the case would be simply be dismissed and the judge would grant a verdict in favor of Charter Schools USA,” he said.
Kuehne said that because of the firing and fallout from it, Murphy, 60, has not been able to find work in the education field and has suffered poor health, even being hospitalized for three months.
“Her school is a model school that they have used and continue to benefit from all the work done by Dr. Murphy not withstanding their effort to get rid of her like yesterday’s dirty laundry,” he said.
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