Trustee Kathy Doherty-Masters is seeking $1.7 million from the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) over a decision it made in late 2024 to reprimand her for a code of conduct violation.

In December 2024, several members of the board of trustees voted that Doherty-Masters had violated the code of conduct after it received an anonymous email in 2023, according to court documents.

She was barred from attending meetings and sitting on any board committees for six months, even after a report from an outside consultant found she had not breached the board’s code of conduct.

She was also barred from sitting on specific committees including audit, governance and the Catholic Parent Involvement Committee until November 2026.

The Catholic school board was then ordered by the Divisional Court in on Feb. 27 to set aside its decision and pay Doherty-Masters $20,000 following a judicial review she requested of the board’s decision in April 2025.

Three Ontario Superior Court Justice judges found the school board was “unclear about the misconduct it found trustee Doherty-Masters to have engaged in.”

Doherty-Masters’ claim

In a statement of claim filed in a Kitchener court in March, Doherty-Masters is seeking a total sum of $1,750,000 for punitive or exemplary damages and seeks reimbursement of all legal expenses minus the amount awarded by the Divisional Court.

She states the board’s decisions “were unreasonable and a miscarriage of justice” and based, in part, on an article written by Rebel News that was “based on a source that was mistaken as to the facts.”

She also claims the board’s decisions were “defamatory” and her reputation suffered significant harm.

“As a result of these defamatory statements, professional opportunities and relationships with her professional colleagues have been, and will continue to be, damaged throughout the remainder of her career,” the claim said.

It adds she also sustained significant and ongoing health issues as a result, including mental and emotional distress, anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, insomnia and high blood pressure.

“Kathy fears for her personal safety, and in particular, at board meetings. As a result, security has been assigned to her at every board meeting,” the claim said.

Doherty-Masters did not reply to a request for comment. Her lawyer, Jarvis Postnikoff did not provide comment.

In an email statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the WCDSB said it had not been served with a Statement of Claim on the matter and are unable to comment.