The Galveston Daily News Is Reporting A Victory For State Tax Watch Groups (GISDWatch SLAPP-suit Update)--

District may drop legal action

By Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News
Published November, 2007

GALVESTON — It appeared late Friday that the district was backing down from its threat to sue a parent for defamation.

In a statement issued late Friday afternoon, Superintendent Lynne Cleveland recommended that the district drop all legal action against a Web site it has accused of defamation.

Cleveland said she’s recommending backing off the legal action because she did not want to pull the focus away from the education of children any longer.

“I think I’ve made it very, very clear the reason I’m here is for the students,” she said. “The students have already suffered enough because of other issues out there that don’t pertain to their education, and I’m not going to let that happen to them anymore.”

Tetley said though she’s glad Cleveland has “come to her senses,” the district’s abuse of power is not acceptable.

“They have tried to crush the voice of the parents of this district, and it is inexcusable and illustrates the lack of leadership at the top,” she wrote in a statement. “They have wasted tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money trying to silence honest concerns by the parents of the district. If we felt like the district truly listened to us, we would not have created this Web site.” . . .


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FBISDWatch comment: David Feldman sent a demand letter threatening a SLAPP-suit about two weeks ago against GISDWatch (a taxpayer watch group). He also does work for HISD and FBISD. We congratulate GISDWatch for standing up to the bullying tactics that are so common and allowed in Texas courtrooms (but not in 24 other states with anti-SLAPP legislation on the books)...