Who Is Joanie Garratt? Beverly Hills Teacher Anti-Trump Firing Lawsuit Explained

Joanie Garratt is a longtime Beverly Hills educator who is suing the Beverly Hills Unified School District, alleging that she was removed from a long-term substitute teaching assignment because of political comments she made on her personal Facebook page criticizing Donald Trump and a pro-Trump student demonstration. Garratt says she never discussed her political views in class and that Assistant Superintendent Matthew Horvath told her in November 2024 that Beverly Hills High School did not want her back because of the post. The district disputes her account and says it does not terminate employees for political statements made on their own time. Garratt filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in August 2026 alleging violations of her free-speech and employment rights.

Who Is Joanie Garratt?

Garratt Was A Longtime Beverly Hills Teacher. Garratt worked in the Beverly Hills Unified School District for decades, including approximately 15 years at El Rodeo Middle School and another 15 years at Beverly Hills High School. She retired from full-time teaching in 2023 but continued serving as a substitute teacher and volunteering with the school’s Interact Club. [Beverly Press]

She Returned To Teach AP U.S. History In November 2024. Garratt accepted a long-term substitute assignment at Beverly Hills High School beginning November 4, 2024, while another teacher was away. The assignment was expected to continue through December 5 and involved preparing students for the Advanced Placement U.S. History exam. [Beverly Press]

The Beverly Hills High School Trump Rally

Students Held A Pro-Trump Demonstration After The 2024 Election. On November 6, dozens of students gathered in the Beverly Hills High School courtyard following Trump’s election victory. Video showed students wearing MAGA clothing, waving Trump flags and chanting in celebration. A school security guard was also seen holding a Trump flag. [Beverly Press]

Black Students Subsequently Alleged Racist Harassment. Several Black students and fashion-design teacher Bella Ivory told the school board that students associated with the demonstration had targeted members of the Black Student Union, banged on a classroom door and used racist language. Students described hearing the N-word and experiencing intimidation during the aftermath of the election. [Beverly Press]

Security Video Confirmed Some Of The Physical Activity But Could Not Verify The Alleged Slurs. Footage later obtained by the Beverly Press showed students in the hallway knocking on and attempting to open the classroom door. Because the footage contained no audio, it did not independently establish what was said or whether every student at the door had participated in the Trump demonstration. [Beverly Press]

The School Changed Its Rules Following The Demonstration. Beverly Hills High School subsequently restricted large student gatherings, prohibited flags attached to flagpoles and barred threatening language. Principal Drew Stewart said students could not assemble in moving mobs or form groups involving shouting, jumping and physical contact with others. [Beverly Press]

Garratt’s Facebook Post

Garratt Criticized The Rally On Her Personal Facebook Page. On November 7, Garratt wrote that she was disturbed by what had happened on campus and alleged that a MAGA group had harassed and intimidated students who did not support Trump and specifically targeted the classroom where the Black Student Union was meeting. [Beverly Press]

Garratt Blamed Trump’s Political Rhetoric Rather Than School Administrators. Her post said people should not blame administrators, whom she said were dealing with the situation. She instead attributed the student behavior to Trump and sarcastically referred to him as “His Majesty, King Trump.” [Beverly Press]

Garratt Also Made Strong Anti-Trump Statements. Reporting on her comments said Garratt described herself as ashamed to be an American, said Trump supporters “worship a fascist” and, as a Jewish woman herself, criticized Jewish Trump supporters by saying some had aligned themselves with the devil. Those comments became part of the broader controversy surrounding her political speech. [LA Times]

Garratt Says She Never Discussed Trump In Her Classroom. She has maintained that her political comments were made on her personal social-media account outside working hours and that she did not discuss Trump or the election with students during the substitute assignment. [Beverly Press] [LA Times]

Garratt Is Removed From Her Teaching Assignment

Assistant Superintendent Matthew Horvath Contacted Garratt About Her Posts. According to Garratt’s lawsuit, Horvath emailed her on November 13 after the Facebook material came to his attention and asked her to meet with him the following day. Garratt instead asked to speak immediately by telephone. [ABC7] [Beverly Press]

Garratt Says Horvath Told Her The School Did Not Want Her Back Because Of The Facebook Post. Her complaint alleges that Horvath told her during the call that Beverly Hills High School no longer wanted her in the classroom. Her attorney, V. James DeSimone, says Garratt asked whether that meant she was fired and was told that the school did not want her to return. Those details are allegations contained in Garratt’s lawsuit and have not been established by a court. [ABC7]

Garratt Sent An Email Memorializing What She Says Happened. After the call, Garratt emailed Horvath stating her understanding that she had been removed from the assignment because of her Facebook posts. According to Garratt and her lawsuit, Horvath did not respond to correct that characterization. [Beverly Press] [LA Times]

Was Joanie Garratt Fired?

Garratt Says She Was Fired From The Long-Term Assignment. Garratt has consistently characterized the November 13 conversation as a termination from the AP U.S. History assignment and says she was not permitted to return to the classroom for the remainder of the job. [Beverly Press]

The School District Disputes The Word “Fired.” Then-Superintendent Michael Bregy said in December 2024 that Garratt had not been terminated from district employment. He said she remained a substitute teacher with BHUSD and that the district had taken no action to dismiss her as an employee. [Beverly Press]

The Distinction Is Central To The Lawsuit. Garratt argues that even if she technically remained eligible to work as a substitute, removing her from the specific month-long assignment was an adverse employment action motivated by her political speech. BHUSD rejects the allegation that it terminated employees because of political statements made outside working hours. [Beverly Press]

Garratt Says District Policy Protected Her Speech

BHUSD Policy Says Personal Political Beliefs Generally Cannot Be Grounds For Discipline. Garratt’s lawsuit cites district policy stating that an employee’s personal religious, political, cultural and social beliefs or activities cannot serve as grounds for discipline as long as they do not violate the law, board policy or administrative regulations. [Beverly Press]

Garratt Says Her Facebook Activity Fell Within That Protection. Her attorneys argue that she posted from a personal account, outside school hours, did not bring the discussion into her classroom and continued teaching without any disruption caused by the post before her assignment ended. [Beverly Press]

Her Attorneys Contrast The Facebook Post With The On-Campus Trump Rally. The lawsuit argues that students were allowed to engage in pro-Trump political expression at school while Garratt was punished for political speech she made away from campus. Whether those situations are legally comparable is one of the issues that could be contested as the case proceeds. [LA Times]

Garratt Begins Legal Action

Garratt Filed A Government Claim In December 2024. On December 4, she filed a damages claim against BHUSD, a procedural step generally required before pursuing certain claims against a California public entity. Her attorney said the filing was the first step toward challenging what Garratt considered an unconstitutional employment action. [Beverly Press]

The Initial Claim Sought More Than $50,000 In Unspecified Damages. The administrative claim did not provide a final damages figure but sought an amount exceeding $50,000. Garratt’s subsequent civil lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and additional relief. [Beverly Press]

BHUSD Continued To Deny That Garratt Had Been Terminated From District Employment. The district said Garratt remained a substitute teacher and denied that she or any other employee had been dismissed during the period in question. [Beverly Press]

Joanie Garratt Files A Lawsuit Against BHUSD

Garratt Sued The Beverly Hills Unified School District In August 2026. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court nearly two years after her removal from the AP U.S. History assignment. [Beverly Press] [Beverly Hills Courier]

The Lawsuit Alleges Violations Of California Labor, Education And Civil-Rights Laws. Reporting on the complaint says Garratt alleges violations of the Bane Act as well as California labor and education laws, intentional infliction of emotional distress and infringement of her First Amendment rights. These remain allegations and have not been adjudicated. [Beverly Press] [Beverly Hills Courier]

The Complaint Seeks Unspecified Damages And A Jury Trial. Garratt is seeking damages, attorneys’ fees and other relief and has demanded that her claims be heard by a jury. [Beverly Press]

Garratt Says The Experience Was Emotionally Traumatic. At an August 18 press conference, she described BHUSD as having been her “home away from home” and said the abrupt end to the assignment left her feeling unwelcome in a school district where she had spent much of her career. [ABC7] [Beverly Press]

Beverly Hills Unified School District Responds

BHUSD Denies That It Fires Employees For Private Political Speech. Responding to the lawsuit, the district said it “does not terminate employees for political statements made on their own time” and called any assertion otherwise false. It said it expected the facts to emerge through the legal process. [Beverly Press] [LA Times]

The District Has Not Publicly Explained Why Garratt’s Long-Term Assignment Ended. Its public statements have disputed her claim that she was terminated for political speech but have not provided a detailed alternative account explaining why she stopped teaching the AP U.S. History class before the assignment’s scheduled December 5 conclusion. [Beverly Press]

The Lawsuit Could Examine Internal District Communications

Garratt’s Attorneys Say They Intend To Determine Who Made The Decision. DeSimone said the litigation would seek documents and communications showing what happened inside BHUSD before Horvath contacted Garratt, including whether other administrators knew about or approved the decision. [Beverly Press]

Her Attorney Acknowledges That Public Employees Do Not Have Unlimited Free-Speech Rights. DeSimone has said the case does not rest on a theory that teachers can say anything without employment consequences. His argument is that Garratt’s speech occurred away from work, on her own account, and allegedly caused no disruption to her teaching duties. [Beverly Press]

Connection To Bella Ivory’s Lawsuit

The Trump Rally Also Became Part Of A Separate Lawsuit Filed By Teacher Bella Ivory. Ivory, who was associated with the Black Student Union, later sued BHUSD alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation connected to her complaints about alleged anti-Black racism at Beverly Hills High School. Her lawsuit is separate from Garratt’s case. [Beverly Press]

Ivory’s Case Does Not Prove Garratt’s Allegations. The two lawsuits involve overlapping events surrounding the November 2024 campus controversy, but each contains different legal claims and must be evaluated independently. Garratt’s case centers primarily on whether BHUSD unlawfully retaliated against her for protected off-campus political speech. [Beverly Press]

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