Court papers filed Aug. 8 in 3rd District Court by attorneys for Michelle Denininger say her report on former Chief Operating Officer Michael Tanner’s job performance and remote work agreements with the district are “a matter of great public concern protected under the First Amendment” and the Utah Constitution.
Tanner sued the journalist in July saying her Nov. 19, 2024, story published in The Park Record contributed to the elimination of his position in early 2025 and made it difficult for him to find another job.
The story raised concerns about Tanner’s compensation package and a remote work agreement. It alleged Tanner lived and worked part-time in Chicago during his tenure with the district.
Tanner’s attorneys claim it was based on “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.”
In her response, Deininger denies the allegations and says statements in the lawsuit are an “expression of pure opinion.” She said she acted without malice and exercised the “requisite degree of care and prudence,” in her reporting.
“At a minimum, to the extent [Tanner] suffered any reputational injury, such injury was caused by [his] own conduct, not Deininger’s constitutionally protected reporting,” her attorneys wrote.
She wants the court to dismiss the case with prejudice so that it can’t be filed again.
A request for comment sent via email to three attorneys who represent Tanner was not immediately returned Monday, Aug. 11.
Deininger’s report was published by The Park Record, but the newspaper was 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.
In June, 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.”
Deininger was previously a KPCW employee between June 2021 and May 2023.
