Lang
5/19/25
The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a former West High coach against the Iowa City Community School District.
Former West High girls’ tennis coach Amie Villarini sued the district for defamation and breach of contract, saying that statements made by former players about her conduct as coach in 2022 were false and defamatory. Villarini requested the district remove the video of the meeting from its website, but it did not comply.
The meeting featured a junior at the school describing being touched on her back and thighs by Villarini, making her feel uncomfortable. She and another student accused the district of not adequately addressing their concerns when they were brought to the board.
The board concluded that no inappropriate contact occurred, thus leading to Villarini saying the comments were slanderous.
A Johnson County judge issued a summary judgement for the district, and Villarini appealed. The Iowa Supreme Court agreed with the lower court, ruling last week that the district is covered by “fair report privilege”, which is the same legal principle that protects the news media when it reports on defamation during a public meeting.