A former administrator’s lawsuit claiming the Montclair Public Schools wrongly terminated her in 2023 as retaliation for calling out misuse of federal funds will move forward under a state Superior Court judge’s ruling last week.
Judge Keith E. Lynott on May 20 denied plaintiff Kalisha Morgan’s motion for default judgment, which Morgan’s attorney sought under claims the schools failed to respond to discovery requests for discrimination complaints. Morgan served as assistant superintendent for equity, curriculum and instruction from 2020 to 2023.
Lynott instead ordered that the school district conduct a “diligent search for all documents and materials” related to former administrator Morgan’s request for discovery, according to his order. Lynott said the district must certify to the court that it has done so.
“The Plaintiff shall have the right to depose the signatory, or a designated organizational representative, or both, concerning the nature and scope of the inquiry undertaken to locate responsive materials and the results thereof,” Lynott writes. “For the avoidance of doubt, a diligent inquiry includes a reasonable search of electronically stored materials, as well as hard copy files.”
Morgan’s attorney, Franklin Rooks Jr., of Morgan Rooks P.C., had told the court that he was seeking specific complaints about harassment, including one filed by two employees identified only by initials.
While he denied the motion for a default judgment for failure to respond to...
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