Fired Portsmouth coach seeks damages

PORTSMOUTH — The attorney for Ryan Moniz, who lost his job as head coach of the Portsmouth High School football team following the suicide of a student, sent a letter to the Town Council on Tuesday demanding "just and due" compensation for his client.

Nathan Bruno, 15, died by suicide in February 2018 after a flurry of events that started with his sending harassing text messages and phone calls to Moniz. The Portsmouth School Department commissioned attorney Matthew Oliverio to investigate the circumstances. Oliverio's report, among other things, criticized Moniz's actions and recommended that the School Committee not reappoint him as football coach.

Moniz's attorney, Jeffrey Sowa, alleges in the letter that "Moniz's termination, the [School] Committee's public dissemination of the Executive Summary [of Oliverio's report], and/or the ultimate public release of [the report] have caused substantial damages to Moniz."

If the town fails to "fully and properly compensate Moniz" within 40 days, Sowa said his firm will commence civil action "seeking all available legal remedies, including, but not limited to, compensatory damages, punitive damages, statutory interest, and attorneys' fees."

The letter does not specifically state the "just and due compensation" sought. Sowa did not immediately respond to an email asking that question.

"He and his family members have been subjected to constant public scorn and ridicule, and he has incurred public animus as a direct consequence of the actions of the [Portsmouth School Committee and former Superintendent Ana Riley]. He will never be able to recover from the damage to his reputation. Despite being named the 2016/2017 Rhode Island Coach of the Year for football, Moniz has been unable to continue in the role he loves either in his hometown of Portsmouth or elsewhere."

"The Report, along with its Executive Summary, is replete with falsehoods, defamatory information, findings, and/or suggestions, and was the product of an incomplete, and cherry-picked investigation which negligently, recklessly and/or intentionally omitted material facts, excluded interviews or other salient evidence from critical percipient witnesses," Sowa wrote.

After the School Committee voted to not reappoint Moniz as the head football coach, "the Committee failed to provide Moniz with due process and/or a hearing regarding his termination, the Executive Summary [read aloud during the meeting], or the Report. The Committee further failed to provide Moniz with a name-clearing hearing. ... Despite his repeated requests and those of his counsel," Sowa's letter says.

Town Council President Kevin Aguiar did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Vice President Linda Ujifusa said Thursday she was not willing to comment and referred a reporter to Town Solicitor Kevin Gavin. Gavin did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment.