Minnesota High School Coaches Are Not Public Officials In Defamation Cases

By John J. Miller. Ph.D.   Parents who defame their children's public high school coaches do not have legal protections when they make false claims, the Minnesota Supreme Court recently ruled. In making this ruling, the Minnesota Supreme Court declared that a Minnesota district court erred when it granted summary judgment to a parent, who had been sued by a coach for defamation. In a unanimous decision, Minnesota’s highest court reversed that ruling by stating that the coaches are not pub