Public records show the Oklahoma State Department of Education , led by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, paid more than $38,000 to an Oklahoma City legal firm in May for the firm’s work, as the agency dealt with the sudden depletion of its entire in-house team of attorneys.
Goodwin/Lewis attorneys Paul Cason, Jason Reese and Emmalee Barresi have represented Walters, the agency and-or the state Board of Education in at least three high-profile legal cases during 2024. They lost one — a lawsuit by Edmond Public Schools in the Oklahoma Supreme Court that resulted in the voiding of some of the state agency’s administrative rules concerning library materials.
A lawsuit filed in January by two teachers who each received a $50,000 bonus in error from the state Education Department — which Walters and the agency attempted to claw back — alleged breach of contract by the state agency and defamation by Walters. Walters and the agency countersued, with the court filing signed by Reese. Settlement negotiations remain ongoing in that case, said Mark Hammons, the attorney for the teachers.