Thomas Mickes
The law firm assigned to the St Joseph School District by its insurance carrier is withdrawing as the district’s legal counsel.
The district announced Wednesday it had received notice the law firm Mickes Goldman O’Toole, LLC will be withdrawing their representation of the district. According to the announcement, a potential conflict of interest was the reason given by the firm in withdrawing from the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Chief Financial Officer Beau Musser.
The lawsuit named as defendants the St. Joseph School District, Superintendent Dr. Fred Czerwonka, Human Resources Director Doug Flowers, and School Board Member Dennis Snethen.
Mickes Goldman O’Toole were selected by the school district’s liability insurance carrier, Wright Insurance to represent all four defendants. The company agreed to cover the costs of defending all four.
But in a sparsely-worded news release on Wednesday the district said “new representation will be assigned to the district parties.”
Musser filed suit May 13 in Buchanan County Circuit Court, demanding he be reinstated to his job, and seeking damages for slander and defamation of character. In court documents he claimed he was fired for his continuing questions about the way millions of dollars in stipends were secretly handed out to top administrators.