[DOC101]

anh27

I apologize but I'm new to this and still trying to figure this site out so bear with me. Your message came up but I lost it and can't get it back. I'm an outsider reading the paper just like everyone else. I think you misunderstood me in someway. I just made a comment about kaletha stating it would be funny seeing that it has been him taking all this heat. I do not know him but it does matter who the coach is. 12 yr old kids can't do that by themselves. They need coaching and he must be a good coach and I wish him and the kids luck. This town should be proud of them. It's about time something positive happened in this town

[DOC101]

did anyone happen to watch the city council meeting last night? Ron meer and angela nelson said they both went through that nine hour hearing and both said there was not enough evidence to suspend those two guys. Something smells a little fishy in my opinion. Kaletha finally spoke out and clarified some things like he never even was interviewed by that Laurie Wink. He ripped her a pretty good one I think. Then he pointed his attention to Bob Mckee who I heard is pretty tight with Phil Latchford and Garbacik. Sounds like Mckee and Joe Doyle jumped the gun before they knew what was going on. I think that garbacik did'nt get his way so his friends jumped out on a limb to save him and got the city council involved but it seems to me not everybody is on board that train, at least not Meer and Nelson. Personnally I think this is looking like a witch hunt from the beginning.

[RedDevilMC]

I'll just say that I believe the hearing and the overall process was not clear cut. There were many mistakes made throughout the process. Believe me, I don't believe in the conduct that had taken place with the children or adults but you have to be consistent in how you handle situations. I believe many behaviors have been allowed consistently over time. There were too many relationships and issues amongst coaches and parents. Hopefully this will be a lesson learned. I hope the Park Department implements a Code of Ethics for ANY PROGRAM that falls under their umbrella. That means any organization that is allowed to use their facilities or that may receive funding. I want all coaches and adults in supervisory roles to sign a code of ethics.

Angie

[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=20829

Baseball coaches will sue

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - An attorney for two baseball coaches who received one-year suspensions by the parks superintendent gave notice of their intent to sue for damages in the amount of $700,000 each.

Christopher Willoughby, attorney with Braje, Nelson & Janes, is separately representing Scott Kaletha and Michael Schwanke, who have been prohibited from involvement in the Michigan City Park and Recreation Youth Activities and the Baseball Players Association for one year, starting Aug. 7, 2008. The suspensions were imposed by former Park Department Superintendent Darrell Garbacik after an investigation into allegations made by parents who claimed the coaches created a hostile environment for their son.

The coaches appealed the suspensions with the park board. Willoughby represented both coaches at a nine-hour appeal hearing with the park board to argue the suspensions. At a special Oct. 27 park board meeting, a motion to overturn the suspensions drew a 2-2 tie vote. Park Board Attorney Patrick Donoghue advised the board a tie vote meant the Garbacik suspensions were no longer in effect.

But the park board later reversed its Oct. 27 decision and said the coaches' suspensions would stand. The reversal came after Donoghue said the tie vote should have defeated the motion to overrule Garbacik's suspensions, allowing the original suspensions to stand.

Donoghue discussed the Feb. 3 tort claim notice at Thursday's park board meeting, saying the coaches claim Garbacik made false and defamatory statements about them and the park board willfully abused the rules and process for appeals.

"These claims are false and the department has extensive records of these incidents," Donoghue said.

The claim indicates $700,000 is being sought by each of the coaches in a lawsuit that could also include the City of Michigan City, the City Council, the Parks and Recreation Department, Darrell Garbacik and several other park department employees.

The coaches are seeking compensation for monetary and other damages, including emotional distress and damage to their reputations in and around the community.

Donoghue said the claims will be forwarded to the park board's insurance company.

At Thursday's meeting, board members unanimously voted to approve minor changes in its written appeals process, in order to clarify procedures for future appeals hearings. The changes now limit hearings to three hours or less, state that Roberts Rules of Order will be used during hearings and a tie vote will mean that a motion failed.

The modified appeals process will be in effect when the holds a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 to consider an appeal by Rodney McCormick, who had a permanent ban imposed on him by the Park and Recreation staff following his conduct while participating in the adult basketball program.

Park Department Recreation Director Jeremy Kienitz told the board Thursday that the recreation committee voted to reinstate McCormick's right to coach youth basketball at the Martin Luther King Center.

[DOC101]

City screwed up, I hope they stick it to them. All because of a bogus article written in ND. I wonder if there named as defendants also

[Ang]

I'm not even going to tell you what i think about this. I might end up getting censored! My opinion of this is THAT bad!

[Dave]

If I was the coaches' attorneys in the lawsuit, I'd want to be working on an hourly basis rather than a contingency fee.

If John Doe went to my boss and told him that I was a bad person because I did X, and I had never done X, but my boss fired me anyway, I wouldn't have a claim against my boss for defamation, I'd have a claim against John Doe.

Heck, in my hypothetical, if I was an at-will employee, my boss could say that he didn't believe John Doe's allegations, but he decided to fire me just because he didn't want to deal with the drama.

Granted, it's a claim for emotional distress (!) and defamation rather than wrongful discharge, but I think the analogy holds.