BEAUMONT – The Ninth Court of Appeals recently affirmed a lower court’s ruling granting the Port Arthur Independent School District’s plea to the jurisdiction in a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Monty Jones — a former member of PAISD’s technology department — filed a lawsuit Dec. 7, 2010, in Jefferson County District Court against the school district.
Alleging that he witnessed acts of destruction to the school district’s laptops, Jones claims the district’s technology personnel performed numerous illegal actions in an attempt to gain money for new computers.
In his lawsuit, Jones alleges that after Hurricanes Ike and Rita struck Port Arthur, the school district seized the opportunity and reported numerous computers as damaged when, in fact, they survived the hurricanes in tact.
Although Jones claims he refused to participate in the computers’ destruction, he alleges he witnessed it. Later, inspectors with the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived to assess the damage to the computers and bequeathed $960,000 to the school district for new laptops, according to the complaint.
Jones claimed that he refused to participate in the mass destruction of PAISD property, and he made his opposition clear by his “silent disapproval.”
On June 2, 2009, the district fired Jones, according to the complaint.
In his lawsuit, Jones alleges wrongful discharge and claims the school district violated his constitutional rights.
On June 28, the Ninth Court concluded Jones has not established through his live pleading or jurisdictional evidence that he has any cognizable claim for violations of his constitutional rights that would trigger the trial court’s jurisdiction.
Jones is represented by Larry Watts of Missouri City.
Melody Chappell, attorney for the Wells, Peyton, Greenberg & Hunt law firm in Beaumont, represents the district.
Trial case No. B188-922
Appeals case No. 09-16-00374-CV