Amani Reed, who led the University School of Nashville until his firing on Jan. 6, has sued the private school for $22 million in damages. The suit is the latest development in a prolonged scandal regarding the school’s alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct by an English teacher, Dean Masullo, reported last spring by a student. Masullo left USN over the summer with a nearly $30,000 severance package that the school has since sued to reclaim.
Amani Reed’s dismissal heeds student, parent and faculty calls after school’s handling of alleged sexual misconduct by a teacher
Reed alleges that the board and its members violated their fiduciary duties by firing him. Reed, who is Black, has also filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the first step in pursuing a workplace discrimination claim under federal law. His suit relies heavily on a report compiled for the school by attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg, which concluded in part that the board was negligent and unprepared throughout the entire Masullo incident.
“You had a perfect storm brewing here,” says Todd McKee, Reed’s attorney. “A sexual misconduct management plan didn’t exist, there wasn’t a cohesive board, there wasn’t an experienced board chair — all those factors made this a mess. The only person who brought any organization to this, any discipline, any control, was Mr. Reed.”
Reed, who has since moved to Atlanta, declined the Scene’s interview request via McKee. In the fall, parents, students and faculty criticized Reed for mishandling the incident, with many calling for his removal as early as September. The lawsuit recounts an incident at a grocery store in which a stranger approached Reed’s wife and said, “Go back to f***king New York!”
University School of Nashville seeking to recover nearly $30,000 from Masullo in new lawsuit
Head of high school Chai Reddy was named acting director after the board terminated Reed. Former Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor Eric Kopstain leads the board, which includes restaurateur Benjamin Goldberg, banker Jim Rieniets and former Metro finance director Kristin Wilson. All members who voted for Reed’s termination are also sued in an individual capacity, as nonprofit board members face personal liability for breaching fiduciary duty under Tennessee law.
Reed asserts that his job as director was confined to implementing school policies rather than creating policy for governance or operations, a distinction set by the school’s nonprofit bylaws. When the student came forward about Masullo, the board lacked a crisis management plan for sexual misconduct by a teacher; Reed’s actions were dictated by existing policy for general crisis response, the suit argues, the deficiencies of which do not justify his termination.
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The school responded with an emailed statement to students, parents and alumni.
“As unfortunate as these circumstances are, they are not unexpected, and the school and its legal counsel have prepared for this possibility,” reads a letter sent Sunday afternoon. “Please know that this development does not impact the day-to-day work in the classrooms or in the offices, nor will it distract from the search for an Interim Head of School or the eventual search for our next Head of School.”
In an email to the Scene, USN communications director Juanita Traughber calls Reed’s allegations “baseless” and declines to comment further.
McKee spoke with the Scene in order to address, in his words, recent “adverse publicity” suffered by Reed.
