Arlington educator resigns after expletive-laced Twitter message to porn star’s lawyer

An administrator at The Oakridge School in Arlington who called high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti “a f------ douche bag” has resigned, according to the private campus’ head administrator.

“Today, I accepted the resignation of Butch Groves,” wrote Jon Kellam, head of school at The Oakridge School in Arlington, in a message posted Thursday. “Mr. Groves served as Head of Upper School for 11 years, and we wish him well in his future endeavors. We will now return our entire focus to providing a quality education for all Oakridge students.”

Kellam’s message stated that there will be no further comment on the case.

Earlier this week, Groves exploded into a social media controversy after he sent high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti an expletive-laced direct message.

Groves called Avenatti a “lying piece of s---” among other things in the direct message on Twitter before dawn on Monday. Avenatti represents porn actress Stormy Daniels and recently said he had a client who can back sexual assault claims against U.S. Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh.

A Twitter clash ensued when Avenatti responded to Groves’ message with a tweet that included a screen shot of Groves’ private direct message: “Meet @butchgroves, The Head of Upper School at The Oakridge School in Arlington. I have never met him before or communicated with him but here is his message to me earlier tonight. The parents of Oakridge must be so proud to have this man teaching their sons and daughters.”

Avenatti told the Star-Telegram he received the unsolicited direct message as news was flowing about his new client in regards to Kavanaugh.

“It’s completely inappropriate to send an unsolicited message like that to anyone,” Avenatti said, adding that he checked Groves’ social media profile and became more angry.

Kellam’s posting on Facebook drew several reactions, including praise of the school’s handling of the controversy.

One person stated: “While it was a hard decision for all, it was certainly a lesson in choices and consequences. We do have freedom of speech but we do not have freedoms from consequences. Your resignation and the school’s handling of the situation equals = integrity.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2018 at 1:57 PM.