Saying their complaints against former Campbell County Library Director Terri Lesley were protected speech, three members of the Bennett family of Gillette are asking a federal court to dismiss Lesley’s defamation lawsuit against them.
Citing the First Amendment, three Campbell County family members who complained for months against sexually graphic children’s books in the public library are asking a federal court to dismiss the former library director’s defamation lawsuit against them.
Hugh and Susan Bennett and their adult son Kevin on Monday filed their motion to dismiss the September 2023 lawsuit by Terri Lesley, the former Campbell County Public Library director.
The library board fired Lesley in July 2023, after she refused to remove controversial books from the children’s section of the Gillette library.
“Ultimately, Ms. Lesley was terminated by the government officials that controlled her job – not Defendants – for her failure to perform in the role as they wished her to perform,” says the Bennetts’ filing in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming. “In retaliation for Defendants’ exercising their First Amendment rights, Ms. Lesley has filed this lawsuit against Defendants attempting to lay the blame for the results of her actions at Defendants’ feet.”
The Sex Books Saga
Lesley’s lawsuit stemmed from several months of controversy in Campbell County.
Lesley defended the inclusion of controversial books in the library’s children and teen sections. Some in the community — including the Bennetts — said the books were sexually explicit and inappropriate for children. They included such titles as “This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson, “How Do You Make A Baby” by Anna Fiske and “Sex is a Funny Word” by Cory Silverberg.
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