A local circuit judge ordered a former nursing student at NorthWest Arkansas Community College to remove defamatory statements about Steven Gates from her blog.
Judge John Scott presided over a hearing Thursday afternoon in Gates’ lawsuit against Francesca M. Cataldo.
Gates, senior vice president for learning and provost, filed the suit in February 2013 against Cataldo.
Gates ’ lawsuit lists several examples of what he described as defamatory statements on Cataldo's blog. The lawsuit states on May 26, 2012, Cataldo posted Gates was “a bully” and had been fired from Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., for sexual harassment. The posting also claimed Gates had been unemployed for several years and questioned why someone with “his tainted history” was hired by the college, according to court documents.
The complaint reflects an Aug. 7, 2012, posting that described Gates as a “bully” and the “the Don Corleone of this mob mentality.”
Cataldo accused Gates of cyber-stalking her in an Aug. 13, 2012, post, according to court documents.
Rogers attorney Jim Lingle told the judge that the allegations were not true. Lingle said it is the “undisputed” truth that his client was never fired from a previous job, but yet the allegation was placed on the Internet. The blog also contained statements that Gates had connections to the mob and had stalked and cyber-stalked Cataldo.
“Those are clearly inflammatory,” Lingle said about the statements.
Cataldo said she was given false information by someone and had removed the allegations from the blog.
Gates did not want any monetary damages. He only wanted the court to find that the allegations were not the truth and order that the allegations be taken off the site, Lingle said.