FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Former Fayetteville Schools Superintendent Matthew Wendt filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday (Aug. 18) against his former employer claiming the school district breached his contract when he was fired for an incident stemming from sexual harassment allegations in 2018.
The suit seeks $929,128 in backpay for breach of contract by the Fayetteville School District. It claims the school district did not follow it's own policy concerning reporting sexual harassment by employees.
Shae Newman, a Fayetteville School's employee, accused Wendt in March 2018 of sexual harassment. Then, in April 2018, Newman's lawyer released a letter from Newman accusing Wendt of making unwanted sexual advances and threats toward her.
Wendt was fired on June 18, 2018, for breach of contract for derogatory comments against a fellow employee violating district policy, according to Susan Kendall, attorney for the Fayetteville School Board.
Text messages between the two, obtained through the state Freedom of Information Act, show Wendt allegedly sent Newman several sexually explicit messages after the two had a consensual affair. Wendt later accused Newman of using "the media instead of the proper forum to resolve issues" and launching a "public relations piece disguised as a legal pleading," according to court documents.
Wendt filed a lawsuit against Newman in 2018, seeking $850,000 in damages. A judge later dismissed it, and another lawsuit against the school district.
Last year Wendt won a bidding war against the district over the rights to the lawsuit he filed against them. The reason the rights to these cases were up for auction is that Wendt filed bankruptcy, meaning the assets in his estate including the lawsuits were liquidated.
The federal lawsuit on Tuesday claims Newman did not present her accusations against Wendt to the Fayetteville School Board, as district policy requires before he was released from his position. Thus, Wendt's termination was a breach of contract.
Read the full lawsuit below.
The Fayetteville School District released the following comment about the lawsuit:
"Fayetteville Public Schools is aware that Matthew Wendt has filed a complaint in federal court alleging wrongful termination of his former contract as Superintendent of Schools. This complaint clearly represents the refiling of an identical claim previously dismissed by Circuit Judge John Threet. As before, the complaint lacks any merit and will be vigorously defended for the purpose of achieving an early dismissal of the case."
Check back for updates to this developing story.