Lawsuit alleging SC school board member took ‘upskirt’ photos of teacher dismissed
A lawsuit that accused a Richland County school board member of using a district phone to take “inappropriate” photos of a teacher has been dismissed.
The August 2024 lawsuit against Jamie Devine, a longtime member of the Richland 1 board, accused him of taking “upskirt” photos of a teacher during a public meeting without her knowledge or consent and shared them with others through text messages and emails. The lawsuit called it sexual harassment.
Nekki Shutt, Devine’s lawyer, previously told The State she believed the lawsuit to be a “political hit job.” It was filed less than three months before Devine’s seat on the school board was up for reelection in November 2024. He kept his seat, winning with nearly 34% of the vote.
The State has reached out to Devine for comment on the dismissal.
Ali De La Cruz, an adult education teacher at Richland 1, regularly attends school board meetings. She criticized the district during the public participation session of the April 23 school board meeting, claiming it failed to evaluate her daughter with ADHD after several requests to do so, the lawsuit said. At that meeting, De La Cruz also faulted the district for its budget and for not being able to hire psychologists to assist students with learning disabilities.
The photos, the lawsuit claims, were taken on a phone that was property of the school district with harmful intent, and as retaliation for De La Cruz’ critique of school board conduct.
But according to court filings, Devine said he was taking photos a slideshow being presented, and not of her. The filing also noted that the described “upskirt” photos were taken from several feet away and that she was “not exposed.”
