MHS Volleyball Coach Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Former Player

By Pamela Rensing
heraldpubs@heraldpubs.com

On August 23, a Mascoutah High School volleyball coach filed a defamation lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against a former student who sued him and the school district in 2022. The defamation lawsuit was filed by Todd and Breanna Gober against Brooke, Beth and Jeff Junker, the same day the 2022 lawsuit by Brooke Junker against the school district and Gober was settled.

The original lawsuit filed in 2022 stated that Gober violated federal and state laws against gender-based discrimination by forcing members of the girls volleyball team to participate in punishment activities for losers at volleyball practice games including, but not limited to, kicking like donkeys and barking like seals.

Brooke Junker was a volleyball player before graduating from Mascoutah High School in May 2022. Her father, Jeff, is a retired assistant principal at MHS. Todd Gober was the volleyball coach, and is president and CEO of First Federal Savings Bank of Mascoutah.

According to the Gobers’ defamation lawsuit, “Beth Junker, Brooke Junker and Jeffrey Junker have made false, damaging, defamatory statements concerning (Todd Gober) to other third parties. Those statements were made in writing, in meetings and in conversations.”

The alleged statements included:
• (Todd Gober) Should not be and should not have been hired to coach girls volleyball;
• Had an illicit affair with one of the athletes under his tutelage;
• Had been involuntarily terminated from prior coaching roles;
• Could not be trusted to supervise girls;
• Has been guilty of conduct that has precluded the recruitment of quality athletes.

The lawsuit states “The (Junkers’) conduct has directly resulted in and proximately caused Todd Gober and Breanna Gober severe and extreme emotional distress, including physical manifestations of same.”

The Gobers’ lawsuit includes two counts of defamation, one count of tortious interference with existing business relationship, one count of intentional infliction of emotional distress, one count of negligent infliction of emotional distress, and one count of false light (false or misleading publicity, particularly when the individual is not a “public figure”). The Gobers are asking for in excess of $100,000 for each of the six counts.

The Gobers are being represented by John N. Julian of AEGIS Law in O’Fallon.