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Alcovy High School Principal LaQuanda Carpenter has filed a lawsuit against 11 individuals who posted comments about her on stories posted on the Internet.
The comments were posted on a variety of stories posted on The Newton Citizen's website. According to court paperwork filed Wednesday afternoon, Carpenter is demanding a civil jury trial for defamation for libel per se and libel based on harm sustained as the result of defamatory postings on the website.
Defamation is defined as "false and unprivileged spoken words or written publication, which exposes any living person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or which causes him to be shunned or avoided, or which has a tendency to injure him or his trade or occupation," while libel per se is defined as libel being "clear on its face, without the need for any explanatory matter...a statement that falsely: charged any person with crime, or with having been indicted, been indicted, convicted, or punished for crime; imputes in him the present existence of an infectious, contagious, or loathsome disease; tends directly to injure him in respect to his office, profession, trade or business, either by imputing to him general disqualification in those respects that the office or other occupation peculiarly requires, or by imputing something with reference to his office, profession, trade or business that has a natural tendency to lesson its profits; or imputes to him impotence or a want of chastity."
Some comments complained of nepotism since Carpenter is married to Dennis Carpenter, Deputy Superintendent for Operations at the Newton County School System's central office. Others said that AHS is a "laughing stock" and that Carpenter is "the sorriest principal in the world."
The lawsuit claims that the comments made by all 11 people are false and made with actual malice and that a summons and complaint will be served on each of them "once his or her identity is revealed."
It further states, "The published statements by the defendants were made to expose her to public hatred, contempt and/or ridicule. The published characterizations of plaintiff were made with the knowledge that the statements were false or with reckless disregard for the truth. Additionally, "plaintiff has experienced enormous emotional suffering and damage to her reputation in the community and to her trade or profession as the result of the defendants' malicious blog postings."
She is requesting that a jury award her damages "in the amount to be determined by the enlightened conscience of an impartial jury," as well as costs, expenses and reasonable attorney fees incurred.
According to Clerk of Court Linda Hays, the cost of a civil trial is approximately $3,000.
When asked for comment, Carpenter said she had no comment. NCSS Superintendent Gary Mathews said, "She has not mentioned such a suit to me."
