Former Colleyville Heritage principal ordered to pay attorney fees in suit involving trustee
Former Colleyville Heritage High School principal James Whitfield was ordered to pay attorney’s fees charged to the Grapevine-Colleyville school district in a defamation lawsuit involving a trustee who referred to him as an “activist” during a panel discussion.
The lawsuit also alleged that the school board member, Tammy Nakamura, violated a settlement agreement that stated Whitfield and the school district would not publicly comment.
District Judge Megan Fahey issued the final judgment on Nov. 5, ruling that Whitfield owed the Grapevine-Colleyville school district $71,791.52.
“The Court also determined that such fees are equitable and just and are so intertwined that segregation of fees between Plaintiffs claims is not required,” Fahey wrote in her decision.
Whitfield said in an interview that he is meeting with his legal team soon to discuss next steps.
“Something just doesn’t smell right about this,” Whitfield said.
“I’ve done my best to uphold my end of the bargain and comply with the agreement. The irony of me paying someone else’s fees for breaching the agreement doesn’t sit well with me,” Whitfield said.
Nakamura said in a text message to the Star-Telegram that the ruling is a win for the school district and for the taxpayers.
“I am thankful the courts have sided with GCISD and this confirms what I’ve said all along: Whitfield is simply playing politics, the gravest type of politics — those designed to tear our community apart. I look forward to Whitfield making the taxpayers whole when he pays GCISD’s legal fees,” Nakamura said.
Comments during Republican panel discussion
Fahey’s order was the latest twist in a legal battle that began in 2022 when the newly elected Nakamura said during a school board panel discussion that Whitfield’s activism and involvement in “critical race theory” led to calls for his dismissal.
Whitfield was the first Black principal at Colleyville Heritage, and he was hired in 2020.
In 2021, a former school board candidate accused Whitfield of promoting critical race theory and called for his dismissal.
Whitfield and the school district reached a settlement agreement in which he would be on administrative leave until August 2023 and also agreed not to comment on the dispute publicly.
Whitfield then sued Nakamura and the Grapevine-Colleyville school district, alleging that her comments during the June 2022 meeting organized by the Republican National Committee violated the 2021 settlement agreement.
That lawsuit was dismissed in 2023 after Nakamura argued that she was not a school board member when the agreement was signed.
The district also called on the court to throw out the rest of the case, also arguing that Nakamura’s comments didn’t violate the agreement. That case was dismissed in April.
Then, the district sued Whitfield to recoup the attorney’s fees.
Whitfield is now superintendent at the Treetops School International, a charter school for students in grades K-12. The 22-acre campus is in Euless.
“I just want to move on with my life. I was able to secure a new position in a place where I’m thriving and focus on my family. For this to continue is unnecessary,” he said.