Fagen files another lawsuit, seeking $1 million

Fagen files another lawsuit, seeking $1 millionLord won't this woman go away? "Humble ISD's former superintendent has filed another lawsuit, claiming her reputation and career was harmed. She's seeking over $1 million in compensatory damages and a jury trial.Elizabeth Fagen, who had a five-year contract starting in 2023, was fired in 2024 following a Title IX investigation into her husband, who was accused of sexual harassment and creating a toxic environment as the district's athletic director. The board terminated her contract for an alleged "failure to maintain relationship with the board," and Fagen later sued Humble ISD and the Texas education commissioner, alleging she was denied due process.An itemized report from last year showed Humble ISD had spent $1.94 million on outside firms for the legal saga involving Fagen and her husband between 2023 and 2025.In the latest lawsuit, filed in October 2025 and amended Jan. 26, court documents describe Fagen's termination as retaliation for providing testimony in her husband's Title IX investigation. The lawsuit also calls the firing unconstitutional, arguing that ending her contract based on the board's loss of confidence was "arbitrary, pretextual, and retaliatory."Fagen, who was first tapped as Humble ISD's superintendent in 2016, was fired one year into her five-year contract. The lawsuit claims that caused her to lose over $1.7 million in income based on her $550,000 annual salary. She also claims that she has not received any job interviews for superintendent positions following her termination due to "severe reputational harm" and lost a potential job as a superintendent leading schools in Reno, Nev., where she had been named a finalist.In a statement, Humble ISD said it would not comment on the lawsuit's specific allegations due to the pending litigation, but said it disagreed with the complaints made."The District takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and compliant educational and workplace environment," the statement said. "The District remains dedicated to upholding its obligations under Title IX and all applicable laws and will continue to focus on serving our students, families, and staff."Documents show that Fagen disclosed a romantic relationship with her husband Troy Kite to the board of trustees in May 2022 - approximately one year before an assistant athletic director filed a Title IX complaint against him. The district allegedly never expressed any concerns about Fagen and Kite's relationship before the 2023 complaint.Fagen recused herself from the Title IX investigation into Kite, according to the lawsuit, leading the district to hire an outside law firm to conduct the investigation. She did, however, sit for interviews as part of the investigation. Her husband eventually resigned after the 2023 Title IX investigation, but later filed his own lawsuit in June 2024, alleging he was sexually harassed by one Humble ISD board member."www.houstonchronicle .com/news/houston-te xas/education/articl e/humble-isd-su