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The $10 million verdict issued last week against Fort Worth’s Trinity Valley School is distracting and unsettling, Head of School Ben Courchesne said in a statement emailed to parents Tuesday.
A jury in federal court decided last Friday that Trinity Valley should pay that sum to plaintiff Carrie Skains, who served as the private school’s human resources director for over a decade, according to court records.
The jury found Skains was entitled to the money because the school defamed and retaliated against her after she reported sex discrimination in the workplace.
“Trinity Valley has received the jury’s decision, and the Board is reviewing the outcome with counsel and with the school’s insurance providers,” Courchesne wrote.
“While developments like this can be distracting for members of our community — unsettling, even — we will continue to approach our responsibilities with the care and seriousness they deserve, and with a steadfast commitment to accountability and transparency,” the statement reads.
The verdict is eligible for an appeal.
“We brought this case because employers are under no obligation to make public statements about an employee, but when they choose to, those statements must be truthful,” Skains’ attorney Walt Taylor said. “If Trinity Valley School or other employers can do this to their Director of Human Resources, who can’t they do it to?”
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Lillie Davidson is a breaking news reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from TCU in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is fluent in Spanish, and can complete a crossword in five minutes.