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Fayette County schools Superintendent Liggins fabricated a legal threat to intimidate critic, state Rep. Camuel

On May 20, 2026, Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins slid a legal-threat document he fabricated -- falsely attributed to a Louisville law firm -- under the office door of Kentucky state Rep. Adrielle Camuel, a district employee who had publicly criticized his leadership, and left additional copies at other district office locations in Lexington. The law firm named in the document confirmed it had never represented or communicated with Liggins, and an investigation the district later commissioned concluded Liggins acted in a "calculated effort" to intimidate Camuel. The Fayette County school board placed Liggins on paid leave in June 2026, and he submitted his retirement in August 2026, days before the investigation's findings were released.

Jurisdiction
Fayette County Public Schools
Location
Lexington, Kentucky

Abuses documented

Actors

  • Demetrus Liggins (Superintendent, Fayette County Public Schools)

On May 20, 2026, Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins slid a fabricated legal-threat document under the office door of Kentucky state Rep. Adrielle Camuel, an FCPS administrative employee who had publicly criticized his leadership amid mounting financial scrutiny of the district, and left additional copies at other locations inside the district's Lexington administration building. The document was designed to look like an email from Louisville law firm Kaplan, Johnson, Abate & Bird warning that the firm had begun a legal campaign against people making "defamatory statements" about Liggins and would send representatives to observe an upcoming school board meeting. Kaplan, Johnson, Abate & Bird confirmed on the record that attorney Heather Gatnarek, whose name appeared on the letter, had never met with or represented Liggins and that the firm had no involvement with the document; Camuel's attorney said security footage showed Liggins delivering it.

Camuel reported the fabricated letter to the district on June 5, 2026. Days later the Fayette County school board placed Liggins on paid administrative leave and installed Dr. Bill Bradford as acting superintendent. Liggins, through his attorney, denied fabricating the letter and said the security footage showing him slipping paper under Camuel's door was unrelated to the fabricated document, characterizing the delivery as an accident.

Updates

2026-08-14 — Liggins submitted his retirement notice amid a credit-rating downgrade [3]

Liggins submitted his retirement notice the day after Moody's downgraded the district's credit rating, in an exit statement accusing the school board of fraud and waste. Board Chair Tyler Murphy confirmed the notice would be formally presented at the board's next meeting.

2026-08-19 — Investigation found fabrication was a "calculated effort" to intimidate Camuel [2, 4]

A 10-page report by attorney Leigh Latherow of Van Antwerp Attorneys, obtained by WKYT, concluded Liggins intentionally distributed the fabricated document in a "calculated effort" to "discourage and intimidate" Camuel from criticizing him, calling his account that the delivery was accidental "challenging to accept as legitimate." The report's release came days after the school board formally accepted Liggins' retirement.

Why we recorded this

Public employees who criticize official misconduct are entitled to do so without their own superiors weaponizing government office and access to intimidate them into silence. Superintendent Demetrus Liggins fabricated a law firm's letterhead and legal threat, then personally distributed it throughout Fayette County Public Schools' administration building to the office door of Rep. Adrielle Camuel, a district employee who had publicly criticized his leadership. An investigation the district itself commissioned rejected his account that the delivery was accidental and found the fabrication was a calculated effort to silence her. This archive records the case because it shows a government official converting his institutional access and authority over a subordinate critic's workplace into a tool of intimidation.

Sources

  1. Dr. Liggins accused of slipping manufactured legal threat under lawmaker's door — LEX18 (WLEX) primary accessed August 20, 2026
  2. Investigation: Retired Superintendent intended to intimidate state rep with fabricated legal threats — WKYT primary accessed August 20, 2026
  3. Fayette County Public Schools superintendent submits retirement notice, alleges fraud and waste in exit statement — WKYT investigative accessed August 20, 2026
  4. Report: Former Fayette superintendent engaged in deliberate effort to intimidate critic — WUKY investigative accessed August 20, 2026

See also