Judge rules former Medina baseball coach entitled to several years of back pay

MEDINA — The Medina County Court of Common Pleas recently ruled that former Medina baseball coach Nicholas Kaplack is entitled to several years of back pay, resulting from the Medina Board of Education's decision to terminate his supplemental contract. The ruling comes more than three years after the Medina Board of Education first discussed the termination of Kaplack's supplemental coaching contract. In February 2022, the board passed a resolution intending to proceed with formal action to terminate the contract. The resolution stated that, in the board's judgment, Kaplack's alleged conduct warranted suspension without pay from his supplemental contract. A video of a postgame lecture Kaplack made in the 2021 spring season was referenced in the resolution, stating that he demonstrated behavior unbecoming of a Medina Schools coach. The lecture followed a historical pattern of Kaplack's concerning behavior, according to the resolution passed by the board. The behavior soured his relationship with important people and entities. With the resolution passed, the board stated it would move forward with the termination at its next regularly scheduled meeting unless Kaplack filed a demand for a hearing in a timely manner. On Feb. 10, 2022, Kaplack provided a written request through attorneys for a hearing through an impartial referee. According to court documents, appointed referee Doug Godshall held an evidentiary hearing on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, 2022. Godshall issued a report and recommendation on April 6, 2023, in favor of the school district, stating that the video of the lecture constituted good and just cause for termination, court documents state. The board then passed a resolution in May 2023, terminating Kaplack's supplemental contract of employment as a varsity baseball coach. Kaplack subsequently filed an appeal on June 2, 2023, seeking reinstatement to a one-year supplemental contract and payment for the loss of salary incurred for the period of his suspension through his time of reinstatement. Medina County Common Pleas Judge Bill Hutson sustained Kaplack's appeal to the court regarding the termination of his supplemental contract on Dec. 22, 2023. Court documents state that Kaplack is entitled to back pay in the amount that he would have earned had his contract been renewed for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. In early January 2024, Kaplack motioned for clarification regarding the court's order to overrule the board's decision to terminate the supplemental contract. In the motion, Kaplack asked the court to clarify that its order reinstates his one-year supplemental contract for the 2023-24 school year. Shortly after the motion for clarification, Kaplack filed a motion for appeal to the 9th District Court of Appeals, raising two assignments of error. A few days later, the board also filed a motion of appeal to the 9th District Court of Appeals, raising three assignments of error. Court documents state that Kaplack's assignments of error were sustained, noting that the matter was remanded to the Medina County Court of Common Pleas for further proceedings. The 9th District Court of Appeals ordered a special mandate in late January, directing the Medina County Court of Common Pleas to carry the judgment to execution. In late March, the Medina County Court of Common Pleas stated the remand required the court to address the reinstatement of Kaplack's supplemental coaching contract. The Medina County Court of Common Pleas ordered the parties to brief the issues before the court on remand, according to court documents. Each party was instructed to address the presented legal issues and propose specifically how the court should modify its judgment. Kaplack's brief requested the court to reinstate his one-year supplemental head varsity baseball coach contract for the 2021-22 school year, in addition to modifying its award to full back pay for the four lost contract years and reinstating his position for the 2025-26 season. In his brief, Kaplack argued that when the district initiated termination proceedings and passed a resolution to terminate the supplemental contract, it severed it. "Thus, there was no head varsity baseball coach contact to which plaintiff Coach Kaplack could have claimed from which the district could have non-renewed plaintiff Coach Kaplack," court documents read. The district's brief requested the court to modify its judgment by granting Kaplack's requested relief for reinstatement of his limited supplemental contract for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, while simultaneously finding that said limited contract legally expired at the end of the 2022-23 school year. After reviewing the briefs of the parties and the arguments of counsel, Hutson ruled during the June 24 hearing that Kaplack's limited supplemental coaching contract is reinstated for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. Additionally, he ruled that the limited supplemental coaching contract did expire after the 2022-23 school year. Court documents state that Kaplack is entitled to back pay for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. Rachel Reight, an attorney representing Kaplack, wrote in a statement that Kaplack has prevailed in his appeals at every level of the Ohio courts. "The courts have repeatedly found that Medina City Schools wrongfully terminated him from his varsity baseball coaching position," Reight wrote. With the Medina County Court of Common Pleas' recent ruling, Reight said the outcome corrects the district's wrongful actions and ensures that Kaplack receives compensation for the time he was removed from his coaching role. Reight said Kaplack is considering his options related to whether to appeal the court's decision not to reinstate him for the 2025-26 season and award him back pay for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. "Mr. Kaplack remains passionate about serving student-athletes and helping them reach their full potential on the field and in life," she wrote. Medina Schools did not comment on the court's ruling. Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.