You might recall the culture-war battles that played out at 麻花视频 County School Board meetings in 2023. Those were action-packed doozies, for sure.
Remember when a parent criticized rainbow imagery at Glen Cove Elementary, and claimed its personnel were 鈥渟exual predators disguised as teachers and staff?鈥 At a couple of meetings that year, members of the public were arrested, which was unprecedented.
Two years later, much of that excitement has faded. But a couple of hangovers remain, in the form of defamation lawsuits in 麻花视频 County Circuit Court.
One was brought by Tobie McPhail, a former assistant principal at Glen Cove. McPhail is seeking $20 million from Damon Gettier, the Glen Cove parent and local businessman who leveled the 鈥渟exual predators鈥 accusation two years ago.
People are also reading…
In the other lawsuit, a Baptist minister is suing the daughter of a Methodist minister for defamation, in a dispute on Facebook with the woman鈥檚 teenage daughter that began over who wrote the Holy Bible. Lordy!
The plaintiff is the Rev. Tom McCracken, pastor of CommUNITY Church in Salem and a 麻花视频 County politician. McCracken was elected to the county school board in 2015; he ran for the 麻花视频 County Board of Supervisors in 2023.
Tom McCracken, pastor of CommUNITY Church in Salem, speaks to congregation members outside a 麻花视频 County School Board meeting.
McCracken is suing Tiffany Sandifer, a 麻花视频 County resident whose dad is a Methodist minister. Sandifer has children who once attended county schools, and one daughter is involved.
The lawsuit claims Sandifer 鈥渕ade several false and defamatory statements about McCracken鈥 in public statements, and on social media.
The two were on opposite ends of a 2023 debate about proposed policies regarding transgender students in 麻花视频 County schools. Sandifer argued the policies would be discriminatory. McCracken rallied congregation members outside board meetings to support the proposals.
Tiffany Sandifer is a parent of a 麻花视频 County student.
McCracken鈥檚 most recent lawsuit was filed April 9 in 麻花视频 County Circuit Court. It was a 鈥淭hird Amended Complaint,鈥 which means it鈥檚 the fourth time he鈥檚 filed legal papers against Sandifer arising from the same set of facts.
The lawsuit was first filed Oct. 13, 2023 and sought more than $2 million from Sandifer and a co-defendant, then-麻花视频 City Councilman Luke Priddy. But that was later withdrawn.
A second version filed in December 2023 was withdrawn, too. Same with a third version in 2024.
The original lawsuit claims Sandifer falsely accused McCracken of stalking children online and of touching her teenage daughter鈥檚 shoulder at a 2023 county school board meeting. The daughter, referred to in the lawsuit by the initials K.K.M., is now 17.
Priddy
That action alleged Priddy falsely told police he observed McCracken touch K.K.M at the meeting, which defamed McCracken.
In December 2024, McCracken filed a third version of the lawsuit against Sandifer and Priddy for a total of $1.95 million. That was his second amended complaint; ultimately that was withdrawn, too.
Since then, Priddy has been dropped from the case. (According to legal papers Sandifer filed, Priddy was never served with the lawsuit.)
Sandifer is the sole defendant in the fourth version of McCracken鈥檚 lawsuit. Now, he鈥檚 seeking $250,000 in compensatory damages plus $500,000 in punitive damages. His attorney is 麻花视频 lawyer Mel Williams.
Both sides were present Thursday afternoon in 麻花视频 County Circuit Court before Judge Charles Dorsey. Sandifer was represented by 麻花视频 lawyer Jane Ostdiek. But not much happened.
Dorsey was the only Circuit Court judge in the 麻花视频 County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon. As a result, the civil hearing was interrupted by criminal matters. It鈥檚 supposed to resume Wednesday.
Sandifer has asked Dorsey to dismiss the case for a number of reasons. One is that McCracken鈥檚 lawsuit 鈥渄oes not allege facts sufficient to establish elements of a defamation claim against Ms. Sandifer,鈥 according to a response filed by Ostdiek.
The lawyer mounted similar arguments regarding the withdrawn first complaint, and the withdrawn first and second amended complaints, too. This time Ostdiek is also seeking sanctions from McCracken and/or Williams. But Dorsey denied those Thursday.
People rally in support of trans youths鈥 rights outside the 麻花视频 County courthouse Monday after two people were arraigned on trespassing charges they received after refusing to leave a county school board meeting last month.
Confrontations at the heart of this mess began on social media in April 2023. But various court filings in the case conflict on who posted what to which Facebook page first.
Whatever happened, it led to back-and-forth Facebook messages exchanged between McCracken and K.K.M. about Jesus鈥 role in writing the Bible. Then K.K.M. posted she was 15 years old and told McCracken to stop commenting on her posts.
McCracken replied that he did not know who K.K.M was 鈥渢ill you criticized my post on my wall,鈥 according to the lawsuit.
Sandifer later made her own online posts, identifying McCracken as a then-candidate for the Board of Supervisors and saying that if he 鈥渟talks children鈥 online, he would not attract voters. Others weighed in, calling McCracken names.
McCracken鈥檚 lawsuit claims months of allegedly defamatory statements posted by Sandifer, including that McCracken 鈥渢racked down鈥 her daughter on Facebook 鈥渁nd tried to religiously groom her.鈥
The two people who were charged with trespassing after refusing to leave a 麻花视频 County School Board meeting July 27 were arraigned Monday. Outside the courthouse, 麻花视频 area residents rallied to show their support for those arrested.
The interaction became face-to-face and allegedly involved touching at the Aug. 17, 2023 school board meeting.
Sandifer and her now 17-year-old daughter were present at that meeting. The lawsuit alleges that after it adjourned, K.K.M shouted at McCracken in front of 30 other people.
As police officers 鈥渁pproached (K.K.M.) she yelled, 鈥榟e touched me鈥 and/or 鈥檚top touching me,鈥 鈥 McCracken鈥檚 lawsuit claims. 鈥淲ith many persons still in the room, Defendant Sandifer, who was standing in the row in front of McCracken, then yelled 鈥楧on鈥檛 touch my child鈥 or words to that effect.鈥
The lawsuit claimed that when McCracken denied touching K.K.M, she said, 鈥淗e touched me,鈥 and 鈥測es you did.鈥 And that Sandifer loudly agreed.
鈥淭his statement is false and defamatory,鈥 the lawsuit argues. 鈥淢cCracken denies that he touched Sandifer鈥檚 child, and denies that Sandifer鈥檚 statements are true.鈥
There鈥檚 also an allegation, absent from the lawsuit鈥檚 first version but present in most recent, that Sandifer called McCracken 鈥渁 pedophile.鈥
Before the hearing Thursday, Sandifer told me she has spent $15,000 defending herself against McCracken鈥檚 four various complaints.
After the hearing, I asked McCracken how much he has spent, so far, bringing the lawsuit.
Genially, he shook my hand, smiled, and said he had no idea. When I asked how he had been damaged, he declined to comment.
Stay tuned.
