Sidwell Friends, Counselor Not Liable

The husband in a “troubled marriage” sued the Sidwell Friends school and a school counselor who became romantically involved with the wife after they had separated. The counselor countersued on a  theory that the husband had engaged in a campaign  to ruin his career and thus tortiously interfered with contractual relations.

The counselor had not had a professional relationship with the woman’s child and there was nothing that led to civil liability when she became romantically involved with him.

Sidwell Friends terminated him for excessive use of his school email account to further the personal relationship.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the husband’s suit and are allowing the counselor’s countersuit to go forward.

The Washingtonian had a story on the litigation. 

The case has proved an ongoing embarrassment to the elite school—home to both daughters of President Obama and a grandchild of Vice President Biden—that prides itself on keeping dirty laundry private.

The case forced Sidwell parents such as Bob Woodward and Elsa Walsh to get involved, and it proved an ongoing distraction to the Sidwell board, led by former Hillary Clinton aide Lissa Muscatine, who now co-owns the Politics & Prose bookstore with her husband, Bradley Graham, a former Washington Post editor.

The opinion is authored by Associate Judge Blackburne-Rigsby and joined by Associate Judge Fisher and Senior Judge Ferren. (Mike Frisch)