Daniel Grossenbach was fired after objecting to the transgender ideology his children were being subjected to at their elementary school. Anonymous people complained and the University of Arizona, a public university, fired him, according to Liberty Counsel, which is handling his case.
The elementary school is not affiliated with the university.
A federal judge, Michael Ambri acknowledged that the university stalled disclosure of public records involving Grossenbach’s termination until 239 days after his firing. Only then was it revealed his firing was based on anonymous complaints about his public advocacy and religious speech.
Grossenbach had spoken several times at school board meetings, which were attended by hundreds of concerned parents. Each time he delivered 2-3-minute, pre-written speeches. He routinely included a disclaimer that he spoke for himself and not for his employer, and expressed without hate, slander, or violence how the district’s policies violated parental rights, according to a Liberty Counsel news release.
Liberty Counsel attorney Daniel Schmid explains more.
"We were assigned to a magistrate judge and the university system there tried to dismiss his claim. Obviously, we thought that was wrong,” he said.
Ambri agreed with Grossenbach’s defense team, and said, yeah, you're right. I think that the district judge should allow his claims to go to discovery, Schmid said.
The Liberty Counsel is seeking to have Grossenbach reinstated and receive back pay and damages.
Schmid is confident a jury will decide in favor of the professor, but it's going to take some time.
“He wasn't speaking on behalf of the university; he wasn't speaking as an employee of the university. He was speaking as a parent. The First Amendment affords him that right.”
