Aug. 26—A jury determined Friday officials at Santa Fe Public Schools had retaliated against a former educator after she spoke up in 2017 about allegations of sexual misconduct against high school student athletes.
Jurors awarded former Santa Fe High School assistant principal Kelly Rinaldi nearly $800,000 in the 2020 lawsuit she filed against the district under the state's Whistleblower Protection Act.
"It was justice served," an emotional Rinaldi said after hearing the jury's verdict.
"It was a long time coming, and I did this not only for myself but for many people that have been treated wrongly for doing what was right," she said. "So it's a very happy moment for me, a very proud moment, that I stood my ground and fought for what was right. Character counts."
Attorney Jason Burnette, who represented the school district in the case, said in a phone call Friday, "We certainly respect the jury process; however, we do strongly disagree with the outcome."
Rinaldi said in the lawsuit she had drawn the ire of district administrators by insisting on an investigation into members of the Santa Fe High basketball team who had been accused of engaging in sexual activity with a teen girl and creating photos and video of the incident. Rinaldi, who later worked at the Early College Opportunities High School, also raised a range of concerns about a former principal there.
Santa Fe County jurors, who received the state District Court case late Thursday after eight days of testimony,...
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