BUZZ
‘You’re allowed to call people names; you’re not allowed to accuse people of eight separate acts of criminal behavior’
A pair of now-retired Arkansas teachers recently were awarded $120,000 in damages after a jury found they were defamed by a man who accused them of criminal conduct at the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
According to the NEA Report (no relation to the National Education Association), via a “sustained campaign” on the internet and initiation of “formal complaints,” defendant Sean Allen had “publicly portray[ed]” Nancy Best and Cindi Talbot as “criminals and extremists” for attending the rally.
In addition to participating in an “insurrection,” Allen accused the former Valley View School District teachers of “trespassing, sedition, participating in a terrorist riot, being part of a coup and a criminal mob,” KATV reports.
He also “contacted state education authorities” to demand the teachers’ termination and revocation of their licenses.
The Jonesboro Sun reported that after a two-month investigation by the Arkansas Professional Licensure Standards Board, it concluded there was “insufficient evidence” that Talbot and Best had “violated any standard of Code of Ethics.”
Plaintiffs’ attorney Robert Steinbuch had noted a different finding could have cost his clients their pensions.
Allen claimed his statements about the teachers were “justified” because he read a Sun article about them, and subsequently “reviewed” their social media activity.
According to a July 2021 story, Allen had written on the Valley View district’s Facebook page (re: Talbot and Best) “Seditious traitors to our country and violent protesters are not suited for educating children. The actions these two teachers took are criminal. Fire these teachers for insurrection of our country.”
Allen’s lawyer argued such statements were protected by the First Amendment; Steinbuch, however, countered that Allen “crossed into defamation by presenting accusations of criminal and extremist conduct as fact.”
“You’re allowed to call people names,” Steinbuch said. “What you’re not allowed to do is accuse the plaintiffs of eight separate acts of criminal or criminal-like behavior […] When you say someone broke into my house, or committed insurrection, you’re making an allegation of fact, and that is required in a defamation case.”
Best and Talbot testified they had never entered the Capitol Building and were never charged with a crime, even after an FBI investigation. The pair retired from teaching in 2023, but Talbot said the whole situation has “been a five-year nightmare.”
“It was such a relief to finally share OUR story after being silenced for so long,” Talbot said. “Nancy and I can finally enjoy our retirement.”
While he apologized for the harassment the teachers endured (Best had said she received 12 phone calls in one evening with a female asking her “Who’s the real President Nancy?” and as “Donald Trump” stating “I just want to say thank you for your part in my violent insurrection”), when asked by Steinbuch if he’d like to apologize for his own actions, Allen leaned in and said “no.”
Steinbuch said he believes this “had a significant effect on the jury” in awarding punitive damages.
Talbot and Best originally had sought $1 million in compensatory damages and “more than $3 million in punitive damages,” the Sun noted.
MORE: Teacher resigns after school district investigates him for saying he was in D.C. on January 6
