Park City School District's former COO Michael Tanner filed a defamation lawsuit against local freelance journalist Michelle Deininger in 3rd District Court July 17.
Deininger’s Nov. 19, 2024, story published in The Park Record raised concerns about Tanner’s compensation package and remote work agreement. The report alleged Tanner lived and worked part-time in Chicago during his tenure with the district.
Tanner contends the story contributed to the elimination of his COO position months later and has made it difficult for him to find another job.
He is seeking a jury trial and monetary damages in excess of $300,000. No date for a hearing has been set.
Tanner also wants the November 2024 story and “all articles defaming or referring to [him] removed from circulation.”
Although the report was published by The Park Record, the newspaper is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit and declined to comment at this time.
The Park City School District and the Utah Attorney General’s Office launched investigations into the allegations after the story was published. None found criminal wrongdoing or school district policy violations.
KPCW reached out to Deininger, who was not yet aware of the lawsuit. She said she’d need time to review the allegations before she could comment.
Last month, the Utah Society of Professional Journalists honored Deininger with the Don Baker Investigative Journalism Award for her reporting, which she described on LinkedIn as a “five-month deep dive into questionable spending and contracts within the Park City School District.”
However, the 14-page lawsuit alleges Deininger’s freelance report included “false statements of fact, manipulated figures and distorted half-truths” that were “patched together in a malicious attempt to damage Mr. Tanner’s reputation and livelihood.”
The lawsuit claims the story misstates that Tanner lived and worked part-time in Chicago. It also alleges the report incorrectly says that Tanner was out of state when a district bus driver violated district policies and during Ecker Hill Middle School construction delays.
The lawsuit also alleges Deininger misreported the amount of Tanner’s compensation package and incorrectly stated Tanner “was hired as a result of preferential treatment.”
Tanner’s COO position was eliminated March 31, 2025, which the district said was part of its effort to reduce overhead costs. The defamation lawsuit disputes that characterization.
The lawsuit argues Deininger displayed a pattern of targeting Tanner and the Park City School District before and after her November 2024 report.
Deininger was a KPCW employee between June 2021 and May 2023. KPCW reached out to Tanner's attorneys for additional comment.
