UPDATE: Wendt Responds to Lawsuit Filed Against Him by Ankeny School Board

Former school superintendent Matthew Wendt is denying all allegations in the lawsuit filed against him by the district in Polk County District Court today.

In a statement sent this afternoon, Ankeny Patch learned Wendt has retained a lawyer to represent him in the lawsuit, which accused Wendt of fraud and deliberately misleading the school board when members voted to amend his contract prior to his resignation. Wendt will be represented by Thomas W. Foley of Babich Goldman, P.C.

In the statement, Wendt said he answered all questions asked of him prior to his resignation and prior to the amendment to his contract, which provided him a $176,000 transition allowance had he chosen to resign.

Here is an excerpt from Wendt's statement:

"I appreciate this opportunity to provide the true facts of my resignation as superintendent of the Ankeny Community School District to the public and the media.

During the negotiations that led to the buyout of my contract and the tendering of my resignation letter, (which was written by Ankeny school board attorney Jeff Krausman), I provided all information they requested of me and truthfully answered any questions they asked of me."

The full statement can be found attached to this article.

Earlier coverage:

The Ankeny school board filed a lawsuit against former district superintendent Matthew Wendt in Polk County District Court today, accusing him of fraud and saying he deliberately mislead the district.

According to this article written by Sara Sleyster of the Des Moines Register, the lawsuit is requesting the court to make null and void a contract providing Wendt with a $176,000 transition allowance if he left the district.

In May, . Prior to the vote, the board offered Wendt a three-year contract including a 3.25 percent salary should he stay with the district.

During the special meeting, the board amended Wendt's current contract. A $176,000 transition allowance, equal to one year's pay without benefits, replaced a four-year payout with two years of benefits if Wendt elected to resign within a month.

Wendt chose to resign and take the transition allowance.

One day later, in Oswego, Ill. The District 308 school board offered him a three-year contract with a $225,000 annual salary.

According to the Register's article, the district states in the lawsuit that “Dr. Wendt owed a duty to the school district to disclose to the school district, before it approved the amendment, the fact that he had the Oswego job.”

The district notes in the lawsuit further proof of fraud, the article said, because in a meeting with board president George Tracy, vice president Pat Cahill and then associate superintendent Bruce Kimpston the day following his resignation, Wendt did not mention his plan to drive “300 miles to Oswego, Illinois to sign his contract to become the new superintendent of (the) Oswego district.”