Court: Lehi coach can pursue defamation suit

The Utah Supreme Court ruled today in favor of a Lehi High School coach's efforts to bring a defamation suit against a group of parents, agreeing that his status in the community did not elevate him to the level of a public official.

Because coach Michael O'Connor is considered a "private" figure as a result of the ruling, the legal burden of bringing a defamation suit is lower.

O'Connor alleged a group of parents organized a campaign to oust him, an effort that including numerous allegations of questionable behavior and misconduct.

In in its opinion issued today, the state's high court found that O'Connor, in his role as a young women's high school basketball coach, was not a public official.

O'Connor was a girls basketball coach at Lehi High School from 2003-04 when several parents began to complain that O'Connor was yelling at and demeaning the girls and paying special attention to one star player while not giving other players enough time on the court. The parents complained to the principal and then accused O'Connor of mismanaging team funds. A school investigation found no evidence of misuse.

Tensions between O'Connor and the parents grew, prompting a group of parents, friends and relatives to begin a letter-writing campaign. The school's principal ultimately removed O'Connor as basketball coach, but he was allowed to stay on as the school's track coach and teacher for sociology and American problems. O'Connor sued the parents for defamation but a district court dismissed the suit, finding the coach was a limited public figure.

In its unanimous ruling today, the Utah Supreme Court justices overturned the district court's decision and remanded the case back for further hearings. The supreme court also created a new conditional privilege that shields communication relating to familial relationships from defamation as long as that communication is not false.

The Utah Education Association had filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that public school teachers should not be considered public officials or public figures because it would deny teachers the right to seek justice against malicious defamation.

---

E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com