Holtrey was head coach of the Springboro boys varsity basketball team from 1990 to 2011 and served as Springboro Schools’ athletic director for three years, beginning on Aug. 1, 2008, according to the lawsuit. He is also a teacher in the Springboro Community City Schools.
The suit claims that earlier this year, the school board created a committee to provide a recommendation on who to hire for the next varsity boy’s head basketball coach. Holtrey’s complaint claims he sought the job but was not hiredbecause of “the existence of the false information being publicized and disseminated” by Wiedeman.
The lawsuit claims Wiedeman told Lisa Babb, a member of the school board, and others that Holtrey “was a criminal for stealing and/or misappropriating money” while serving as coach or athletic director.
The lawsuit claims Wiedeman should have known from “multiple public records requests” that Holtrey had “no criminal history or involvement with impropriety regarding Springboro athletics or Springboro schools.”
The lawsuit claims defamation of character and malice.
Lawyers John Smith and Andrew Meier ask for an injunction restraining Wiedeman “from publishing such false defamatory statements” and seeks $25,000 or more in damages, as well as attorney fees and expenses and court costs.
In a response to the suit, lawyers for Wiedeman deny he made defamatory statements and claim Holtrey was recommended for the job but refused to take it.
Lawyers and Judge Donald Oda II met for the first time on Tuesday about the lawsuit, filed on Aug. 5 in Warren County Common Pleas Court, according to online records. The case has been set for trial in November, 2021.
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