COLUMBUS, Ohio ― The reputation of Ohio State University’s fired band director was not harmed by the university or anyone acting on its behalf, the school said in a court filing asking a judge to dismiss the director’s $1 million defamation lawsuit.
The university denied it escalated negative publicity about former band leader Jonathan Waters through press releases and counters it was Waters who engaged in a national public relations campaign through multiple media appearances and comments, Ohio State said in a court filing Wednesday.
Waters’ complaint in the Ohio Court of Claims last month alleged the school has damaged his reputation so much he can’t find work despite previously being among the most respected directors in the field.
The university fired Waters last July, after an internal investigation concluded he ignored a “sexualized culture” inside the celebrated band.
Waters wants $1 million in damages for his allegations of violation of privacy, defamation and slander. He’s separately pursuing a federal civil rights claim of gender discrimination.
Waters’ iPad-designed halftime shows were considered revolutionary. They’ve garnered hundreds of thousands of YouTube views for what fans know as The Best Damn Band in the Land.
Despite that reputation, Waters says he’s applied for more than 40 high school and college marching band jobs since he was fired and gotten no offers.
