Hoover school board settles gender discrimination lawsuit by former principal

The Hoover school board today voted to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a former elementary school principal three years ago.

The board agreed to pay former Trace Crossings Elementary School Principal Robin Litaker $97,000 plus an as-yet-undisclosed amount of legal fees in return for her dropping the lawsuit that has been working its way through federal court since November 2014, Superintendent Kathy Murphy said.

Litaker had claimed she was removed from her job in November 2012 without reason and put in the central office for months without being given a permanent job assignment and later offered a job as an assistant principal, which would have been a demotion.

Meanwhile, the superintendent at that time, Andy Craig, gave preferential treatment to male administrators, Litaker claimed in her suit.

Male administrators who had been placed on corrective action plans or been given an opportunity by Craig to correct performance problems were allowed to remain in their principal positions or moved to high-level positions until they found other employment, the lawsuit claimed. Litaker, even though she had excellent performance reviews, was not offered the same consideration, the suit claimed.

Furthermore, Litaker and another female principal whose school did not make "adequate yearly progress" under state guidelines both were moved out of their schools, the suit said. The male principal whose school did not make adequate yearly progress was left unscathed and given a new three-year contract, the suit said.

Litaker resigned instead of taking the assistant principal job, which she said would have seriously damaged her career. She later filed suit, claiming gender discrimination, breach of contract and violation of due process. She also claimed Craig and former Assistant Superintendent Carol Barber libeled and slandered her, but U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala dismissed those claims and the breach of contract claim.

Haikala did, however, in September issue a judgment that would have allowed the discrimination and due process claim to proceed to a jury trial. The parties were able to work out a settlement this past weekend during a mediation meeting.

After today’s vote by the school board, Murphy said every employer occasionally has to deal with disagreements with employees or former employees, and this one led to a lawsuit.

“We’re exceptionally excited that we’ve been able to resolve all of those differences,” Murphy said.

The lawsuit was getting the school district off track, the superintendent said. “We’re looking forward and not behind us,” Murphy said. “Just reaching a resolution to that I hope is in the best interest for all parties. It certainly is for our school district.”

Litaker declined to comment, but one of her attorneys, Rocco Calamusa, said she is pleased to have resolved the lawsuit and is ready to move on from the Hoover Board of Education.

Litaker agreed that she no longer was seeking employment with the Hoover school district, and the school district agreed to make neutral statements regarding her employment with the district, Murphy said.

School board President Earl Cooper said the settlement saves the school district from a long and very expensive legal proceeding, and Murphy said school officials are eager to move on to the important projects in front of them.