CHICAGO — As he prepares to step down from his role, outgoing Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez has filed new defamation claims against the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), its president Stacy Davis Gates, and Board of Education President Sean Harden, court records reveal.
The claims are an amendment to Martinez’s existing lawsuit against CPS board members, originally filed after his firing in December. A Cook County judge will consider the amended filing next week, just days before Martinez’s last day in office on June 18.
“[Martinez] isn’t going to put up with bullies,” said his attorney Bill Quinlan, explaining the reasoning for the updated filing.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The new defamation claims specifically cite public statements and social media posts made by Davis Gates and the CTU about Martinez’s job performance and past conduct. Key allegations include:
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Claims that Martinez was pushing to close up to 100 schools, which he and the board denied and later voted to ban until 2027.
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Accusations that Martinez is “incompetent and unqualified,” which the lawsuit refutes by asserting he meets all criteria for the CEO role.
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A post on CTU’s Facebook page alleging that Martinez could have “recovered millions in charter loan debt” and “billed Medicaid” to address the district’s financial shortfalls — claims Martinez disputes as factually incorrect.
Martinez argues that the union and its leadership “knowingly made false claims” and misrepresented budget decisions, including comments on his tenure as CPS CFO from 2003 to 2009.
“None of the financial issues facing CPS today can be traced to his time as CFO,” the lawsuit asserts.
Allegations Against Board President Sean Harden
Martinez also included claims against Board President Sean Harden, saying Harden falsely told stakeholders that Martinez had prioritized “his professional future” over CPS stability. The lawsuit frames these statements as a deliberate attempt to create legal justification to terminate Martinez earlier than contractually agreed.
Harden told Chalkbeat he had not seen the lawsuit and denied making any defamatory remarks. He stood by his prior public criticism of the CPS budget proposal, which included $300 million in projected funding from “unsubstantiated sources.”
“We still don’t have clear answers. That budget is incomplete and unsatisfactory,” Harden said.
Background: Contract Dispute, Budget Tensions, and Exit to Massachusetts
Martinez was fired without cause in December but was permitted to serve through June 2025 per his contract. On July 1, he is set to begin a new role as Massachusetts’ state education commissioner.
This legal dispute follows an earlier lawsuit Martinez filed to block board interference in contract negotiations with CTU. At the time, he secured a temporary restraining order preventing board members from influencing his bargaining team.
The union, for its part, says Martinez is attempting to suppress legitimate political critique. CTU attorney Steve Mandell called the lawsuit “an attempt to silence the sort of political speech that takes place in every labor negotiation.”
“If these kinds of statements were actionable, the courts would be flooded with never-ending defamation claims,” Mandell added.
Do you think public officials should be allowed to sue unions over contract-era criticism? Or is this defamation case a dangerous precedent for free speech?
Tell us your take and follow the full story on CPS leadership, union negotiations, and school funding at ChicagoSuburbanFamily.com.
