Dr. Dawn Greene and Supt. Scott Miller

Dr. Dawn Greene intends to sue Hammond schools and Supt. Miller

Contributed By:The 411 News

Reclaiming her name and reputation is the quest of Dr. Dawn Greene who has notified her former employer -- the School City of Hammond and Superintendent Scott Miler -- of her intention to include them in a personal injury lawsuit.

Atty. Patrick McEuen, representing Greene, said he had delivered the Notice of Tort Claim to the parties in Hammond and hopes the matter can be settled without suing.

Tort claims address civil not criminal wrongs. Indiana state law requires claimants to notify schools when they are the subject of a tort claim and file the claim with the state's attorney general office.

The basis of the lawsuit is the May letter sent to the media from Supt. Miller. "On or about May 28, 2021, Mr. Scott Miller and LeAnne Munoz published and disseminated a false, malicious and defamatory Press Release," Atty. McEuen said in a statement.

Munoz is the Hammond school district's Public Relations & Marketing Specialist.

Ten days earlier, Dr. Greene's letter of resignation was submitted and accepted during the May 18th meeting of the Hammond Board of School Trustees. A reason for Dr. Greene's resignation was not made public.

In Supt. Miller's press release were statements listing Dr. Greene's actions that "were not presented to the Board of Trustees for approval and were entered into the system under Dr. Greene’s authority in a manner not consistent with internal control procedures."

Supt. Miller said he discovered Dr. Greene had authorized stipends to receive payments totaling $42,184.50. Dr. Greene had also authorized stipends for school principals David Verta and Michelle Ondas to receive payments that totaled $33,802.48 each.

Miller's press release said the actions were uncovered on May 17th, one day before Dr. Greene's resignation.

The press release also said Dr. Greene's actions were referred to Indiana's State Board of Accounts with a request for review and to investigate the degree to which internal controls procedures were not adhered.

Atty. McEuen said Dr. Greene denies any implication of criminal malfeasance or misconduct. He said, "Since the publication of the false, malicious and defamatory press release, Dr. Greene has suffered a loss of employment opportunities in other school districts, and her reputation as a school administrator has suffered due to the false and defamatory allegations."

The remedy sought by Dr. Greene is a retraction of the press release with an apology from Supt. Miller, Munoz, and the Board of School Trustees.

Atty. McEuen asked for all evidence to be preserved, "including electronic communications between the Superintendent and Board, as well as “sent” and “received” emails. We are asking that the equipment, including the desktop computer utilized by Dr. Greene be preserved until a lawsuit is resolved."

The amount of damages Dr. Greene is seeking for defamation is not included in the claim. Atty. McEuen said, “It is believed that her damages are in excess of the statutory limits available under I.C. 34-13-3-1.” Indiana caps the amount of damages paid in this tort claim at $700,000.

The Hammond school district has 90 days to respond.

Story Posted:07/27/2021