Chris Tritico
Whitbeck’s breach of contract claim against the district was dismissed late last month.
Former Fort Bend ISD superintendent Christie Whitbeck is challenging the recent dismissal of her lawsuit against the school district.
Whitbeck was forced out of her role in late 2023. She sued the Houston-area school district and three trustees for breach of contract about a year later. Whitbeck also brought defamation claims against the trustees.
The former superintendent later dropped the claims against the trustees. A district court judge in Fort Bend County dismissed her remaining claim against the school district late last month.
Now Whitbeck’s attorney, Chris Tritico, has appealed the ruling and asked for a new hearing. In court documents, Tritico said he found out from a reporter that Whitbeck’s lawsuit had been dismissed and that he had never been notified of the case’s dismissal.
The school district has argued that Whitbeck should have gone through the employee grievance process instead of filing a lawsuit. In a statement, Tritico said the grievance process would have resulted in Whitbeck’s case being heard by the trustees who pushed her out of her superintendent role.
“This latest legal maneuver appears to be an attempt to delay the case, drive up attorney fees, and prevent the public from learning the truth about the conduct of certain Board members,” he said.
Tritico also noted recent turnover on the school board, arguing that it represents a rejection of the leadership that forced Whitbeck into an early retirement.
“The Fort Bend community has made its stance clear: it will not tolerate Board members who engage in bullying and disparagement,” he said. “Voters decisively rejected those individuals and their endorsed candidates.”
After the lawsuit was dismissed, the school district released a statement praising the decision by a judge.
“We are grateful for the district court’s decision. It is unfortunate that Dr. Whitbeck chose to pursue a meritless lawsuit that subjected taxpayers to needless and costly litigation,” Fort Bend ISD Board President Kristin Tassin said.
The district declined to provide further comment on the lawsuit regarding Whitbeck’s challenge to the ruling.
Kristen Malone, a trustee who was on the school board at the time of Whitbeck’s resignation, filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) alleging that other trustees violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by discussing Whitbeck’s removal outside of a public meeting.
The TEA is still investigating that complaint.
