A lawsuit against Stefanie Boone was filed today in the 17th Circuit Court.
An Ada resident, Boone has risen to prominence locally in recent years as a vocal critic of Lowell Area Schools, which her children attend through the Schools of Choice program. She has encouraged the recall of members of the LAS Board of Education and last year filed a lawsuit against the district alleging her rights have been violated.
Today’s legal action was taken by Christine Beachler. As the LAS district librarian, Beachler has been a frequent target of Boone’s frustration over the content of books in school libraries. On social media, Boone has described Beachler as a “smut-peddling media specialist” and someone who likes “porn for kids in our schools.” The librarian is also named as a defendant in Boone’s lawsuit against the district.
Beachler has said very little publicly on the matter although she did send a cease-and-desist letter in 2023 in the hopes of ending the posts targeted at her. That was unsuccessful, but she tells Lowell’s First Look that she has been keeping meticulous records of all Boone’s comments about her.
After Boone initially posted a video of her entitled “Which way to the PORN section please?,” Beachler says she received a death threat as well as other threats of bodily harm. Despite knowing that, Boone repeatedly posted the video on her social media accounts and in other groups. The fallout has taken a toll on Beachler’s health, resulting in her missing work and limiting her time in public.
When Beachler began hearing from students who were concerned about the backlash, she decided it was time to take legal action. LAS is not involved in her lawsuit.
“This is not what I wanted to do at all, but I feel like after five years, someone needs to stand up for the truth,” Beachler says. “Enough is enough.”
Complaint Alleges False-Light Invasion of Privacy
Beachler’s lawsuit is based on a claim of “false-light invasion of privacy.” It is defined in the following way:
False light is publicity that unreasonably places someone in a false light before the public. False light involves misleading depictions that create false impressions of victims.
According to the Digital Media Law Project, a false light claim requires the following:
- The defendant has published information about the plaintiff widely.
- The plaintiff is identified by the defendant.
- The defendant portrayed the plaintiff in a “false light,” meaning the information shared would be considered highly offensive to a reasonable person.
- The defendant was at fault in publishing the information.
The lawsuit claims that Boone falsely stated that Beachler is a groomer and provides pornography to minors and that Boone knew these statements were false when she made them.
The 17-page complaint alleges that Boone conducted a “smear campaign” against Beachler and, at one point, enlisted the help of her child.
According to the filing, Boone asked that restrictions be placed on her child’s library account so that they could not access “inappropriate” material. As a result, the library restricted the student’s access to eBooks. When her child was denied access on their account, the student used a library iPad login, which is in violation of the school’s technology policy, to circumvent the restriction. The student was then able to access a previously restricted book and take photos of themselves with the eBook.
The lawsuit states that the student “appeared to be texting with Defendant during the entire incident.” It also states that Boone later claimed online that she was able to use her 15-year-old’s log-in information to pull up a “known obscene book” even though she knew her child’s login information was not used during the incident.
Relief Sought: Removal of Posts, Compensatory Damages
The lawsuit requests relief for two counts: one for false light invasion of privacy and the other for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The relief sought includes the following:
- An order to remove all posts that include Beachler’s name, photo or job title from Boone’s social media accounts
- An order to prevent Boone from making misleading or false statements about Beachler
It also requests that Beachler be awarded compensatory damages “in an amount that would fully compensate her for the injuries alleged herein” as well as be awarded punitive damages, reimbursement of costs and “other relief as may be just and equitable.”
As of the afternoon of May 13, 2025, Boone’s Facebook and Instagram accounts could no longer be accessed although her X account was still available.
An email has been sent to Boone asking if she has a statement on the matter.
The full complaint can be found here.
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I hope Ms. Beachler’s lawsuit is successful. It is sad that it had to go this far, but it seems Ms. Boone has no boundaries when it comes to inappropriate behavior. Perhaps being successfully sued will teach her some.
When the internet first became widely used by the public, my journalist colleagues predicted that media(internet)libel would be a wild west of hellish proportions, and that it would take decades for law to catch up. I hope we’re in the Finding Out phase.
Bravo, Christine! I am so sorry you have had to endure these attacks on you for so long. This lawsuit is probably long overdue, but I also realize you are doing this as a last resort to get the smears and untruths to stop. Best of luck and success with this and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do to help.
I have full support for Mrs. Beachler, for No one should have to deal with constant harassments/ death threats. This has gone too far and Mrs. Beachler deserves to feel safe as well. Stay Strong Mrs. Beachler.
You have my support and I’m sure the majority of Lowell. No one should have to put up with the harassment you have received at the hands of Ms. Boone. I hope you have a successful trial and God willing, we won’t have to hear from Ms.Boone ever again
Thank you, Christine, for standing up not only for yourself but for every single employee at LAS that has had to endure being the target of this miserable, misguided, malicious person! Every post that person put out there and even her personal page has been deleted, but surely she cannot be so ignorant to believe that taking things down means it no longer exists. I hope and pray this is the beginning of the end of her bullying! No one should ever be able to do the horrible things she has done and not pay a price! So many people have your back, Christine! I am praying that your lawsuit will stop the nonsense!
Good for you Mrs. Beachler!!! I hope you get every penny you deserve and more, and teach that lady and everyone else like her a lesson with the precedent you will set with this lawsuit.
Any support you need, Christine, please let us know. We wholeheartedly stand behind you. No public school employee should be made to withstand this abuse.