ALBUQUERQUE (CN) - Albuquerque's former school superintendent sued the district this week for $125,000, claiming his successor disparaged him five times, and that his separation agreement entitles him to $25,000 for each comment.
Winston Brooks resigned in August 2014. The district bought out his contract for $350,000, which made news in Albuquerque. The controversy continued through January, when the district fought the Albuquerque Journal's FOIA request for information on Brooks's resignation.
In his Feb. 17 lawsuit against the Board of Education, Brooks claims that his resignation and separation agreement states "that the board and central office administration will not disparage the conduct, character, performance or ethics of Brooks or his wife, Ann Brooks" and that any violation entitles him to damages of $25,000 per incident.
The lawsuit then cites a Sept. 16, 2014 Albuquerque Journal article that Brooks says disparaged him five times.
He claims that interim superintendent Brad Winter told the Journal that "He will welcome opinions from the community - unlike his predecessor, Winston Brooks," that "Nobody wanted to work with him [Brooks]," and other, similar statements.
That'll cost the district $25,000 a pop, Brooks says in his lawsuit in Bernalillo County Court.
Winter is not a party to the complaint.
Brooks is represented by Maureen Sanders with Sanders & Westbrook.
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