After reading through the seven-page complaint filed on Wednesday by Attorney Norman Pattis, I couldn’t help but wonder: Have Maria Pereira, Tammy Boyle and Pattis broken the law in their quest to sue the Bridgeport Board of Education?

For starters, Pattis filed the lawsuit on behalf of the “Bridgeport District Parent Advisory Council.” Meaning, the plaintiff is the entire District PAC.

How is that possible when the District PAC never voted to sue?

That’s right: The alleged plaintiff never voted to file the lawsuit.

Second, since the District PAC didn’t vote to sue, on whose authority did Mr. Pattis file the lawsuit? Pereira? Boyle?

Pereira and Boyle don’t have any authority to make decisions on behalf of the PAC since they were removed a week ago.

To illustrate my point: Let’s say I wanted the Bridgeport Board of Education to suit Pereira and Boyle to recoup legal fees they will have to spend defending this ludicrous suit. I couldn’t walk into the courthouse and file suit on behalf of the Bridgeport Board of Education.

That would be crazy. I’m not a member of the Bridgeport Board of Education, therefore, I can’t presume to represent them.

Yet, this is exactly what Boyle, Pereira and others have done.

As I reported earlier, the full District PAC executive board never voted on filing a lawsuit or hiring a lawyer. Even more importantly, the BOE voted last Monday to cut ties with the District PAC executive board.

But, wait, there’s more!

Pereira has publicly said they raised money on behalf of the District PAC for legal fees. Just like the lawsuit, this money was raised without the consent of the full District PAC.

According to Parent Center Coordinator Lisa Pavlich, the money they claim to have raised to obtain Pattis’ services was never deposited into the District PAC checking account.

Pereira told the BOE that she “personally” raised the money for this lawsuit on behalf of the PAC. So, where did that money go? Did she deposit the money into her own account, or did they open a separate account on behalf of the PAC?

So, to summarize: We have an attorney filing a suit on behalf of a client who never hired him, presumably upon the nonexistent authority of members of a dissolved executive committee who raised money for the lawsuit without consent and then did not deposit those funds into the PAC’s account.

 

 

To comment on this and other stories, please check out the Education Bridgeport! Facebook