Bixby superintendent sues Ryan Walters for defamation, Walters fires back with immunity claim
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Superintendent feels defamed
State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters argued in a legal filing on Wednesday that he was performing his official duties when he referred to Bixby Public Schools Superintendent Rob Miller as “a clown and a liar” during a press conference.
Walters’ legal team is claiming that he should be immune from a defamation lawsuit brought by Miller in August.
Miller filed the lawsuit in both Walters’ personal and professional capacities, alleging that Walters defamed him and misrepresented him and his district following a State Board of Education meeting on July 31.
Walters says the lawsuit is “frivolous.”
Walters’ attorneys submitted their response in Tulsa County District Court, with his lawyer, Joel Wohlgemuth, calling the lawsuit “frivolous.”
Wohlgemuth argued that Walters is protected by state and federal laws that provide him with “well-established immunity” and that the lawsuit aims to punish Walters for exercising his First Amendment rights.