$2M Lawsuit Filed By Waukegan School District 60 Attorney Representing Superintendent Theresa A. Plascencia And School Board President Michael Rodriguez Against Margaret Carrasco Dismissed

The plaintiffs, Plascencia, Rodriguez and the attorney for Waukegan School District #60 failed to appear in court and the defamation lawsuit case filed on December 27, 2018 against Margaret Carrasco was dismissed by default.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

July 23, 2019

Waukegan, Illinois - On Tuesday, a Lake County judge dismissed a $2M dollar defamation lawsuit case (# 18L 00000986) filed against Margaret Carrasco by an attorney representing Superintendent Theresa A. Plascencia, Waukegan School District 60 Board President Michael Rodriguez and district school attorney Tom Morris. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that Carrasco engaged in a "...campaign of harassing Facebook posts..

" that included defaming, harassing and causing emotional stress for the plaintiffs and that Carrasco also accused the district school administration of corruption. Carrasco led a successful campaign to stop the school board from increasing property taxes and accused Plascencia in November 2018 of filing a false police report against her, which later turned out that Plascencia couldn't prove she was verbally harassed or threatened by Carrasco at a local Mexican restaurant in Waukegan. Restaurant video footage of the alleged incident between Plascencia and Carrasco failed to show that Carrasco ever confronted and harrassed Plascencia. Carrasco pushed for the Waukegan Police Department to file charges against Plascencia for filing a false police report, but police never filed charges. Plascencia also filed a restraining order in Lake County against Carrasco, but the restraining order was not granted.

The Waukegan School Board District 60 in June 2018 approved $30,000 to retain a law firm to represent the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Carrasco says, the lawsuit was an attempt to silence her and from bringing up school issues at Board meetings. Carrasco represented herself in the lawsuit. 

Carrasco on Tuesday told Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) that she thanks everyone and is very grateful for the Waukegan community who supported her during this unfortunate act by Plascencia, district school administrators and the school Board in filing a frivolous lawsuit with taxpayers funds in an attempt to silence her from raising and addressing school issues affecting taxpayers.