by P.D. Lesko
Greenhills Principal Peter Fayroian is demanding to know the identity of a tipster who pointed the newspaper to court records documenting allegations of sexual abuse made against Fayroian by his pre-teen daughter. Fayroian has not been prosecuted for any crime. The tipster has filed a Motion with the 22nd Circuit Court to protect his identity. In the Motion, the tipster does reveal that the information about the court records and the allegations against Fayroian in those court records came from conversations at Barton Hills Country Club. The club has between 400 and 600 members. Judge Julia Owdziej ruled in March 2026 that the identity of the tipster was discoverable. In May 2026, the tipster (identified as John Doe) filed a Motion asking Judge Owdziej to protect his identity from Fayroian. The hearing on that Motion is scheduled for July 15, 2026.
In October 2024, the A2Indy published “Greenhills Head of School Accused of Sexual Abuse.” A tipster pointed the newspaper to court records. Peter Fayroian filed ex parte Motions in the 22nd Circuit Court and asked Judge Julia Owdziej to force the A2Indy to unpublish the article. The Judge denied the Motions. Similarly, Fayroian filed a Motion in the 22nd Circuit Court to seal the case file containing the records of his divorce proceedings (where the allegations of sexual abuse made by his daughter were documented). Judge Tracy Van den Bergh denied the Motion. In her written opinion, Judge Van den Bergh wrote that the “Plaintiff himself widely disseminated information.” Judge Van den Bergh wrote, “The Court finds it is primarily the Plaintiff’s [Fayroian] reputation that he seeks to protect and that does not provide good cause to seal this file.” The judge added, “The Court does not find that there is a specific and viable claim to protect the children’s interests.”
Fayroian then sued for libel.
Other information Fayroian wants to discover is whether a psychological evaluation ordered by Judge Tracy Van den Bergh was obtained by the A2Indy. In his suit, Fayroian claims emotional distress. To be awarded monetary damages for emotional distress, Fayroian will have to prove emotional distress, including by providing, for example, records of psychological treatments and evaluations. To prevail, because Fayroian is a public person, he will have to meet the legal bar of proving actual malice. Established by the Supreme Court in the landmark 1964 case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, this standard balances the protection of free speech and press against the need to compensate individuals for reputational damage.
SLAPP suits are used to silence critics, stifle public interest reporting and to punish free speech. According to Reporter’s Shield, “A SLAPP lawsuit uses the court system as a pressure tactic. A plaintiff claims defamation, interference with business, conspiracy, or another civil wrong, and then demands damages that can look scary on paper. A SLAPP differs from an ordinary dispute in one significant way: The plaintiff’s leverage comes from the process itself. The plaintiff’s goal rarely involves winning a verdict. Instead, the objective is intimidation. The filer wants to bury the defendant in legal fees, force them to retract their statements, and discourage others from speaking up.
Fayroian’s latest offer to settle included the A2Indy publishing a retraction of “Greenhills Head of School Accused of Sexual Abuse,” and a take down of other articles, including “Judge Refuses to Seal Greenhills Principal’s Case File: ‘Plaintiff Himself Widely Disseminated Information’; “Judge Denies Requests to Stop A2 Indy’s Publication of ‘Greenhills Head of School Accused of Sexual Abuse.'” Fayroian, who earns over $500,000 per year according to Greenhills’ 2024 990 federal income tax return, also asked for a low five-figure payment. The newspaper declined.
On May 27, 2026, the Detroit News published, “Child sex abuse claims prompt defamation suit.” On June 8, 2026, Scio News published, “A Private School Headmaster Is Suing the Reporter Who Covered His Case.” Scio News reporter Jonathan Greenberg writes, “The lawsuit has produced a discovery dispute that goes beyond the defamation claim itself. A hearing is scheduled for July 15 before Judge Owdziej on a source-protection motion….”
Greenberg also writes, “Until December 2025, Michigan had no anti-SLAPP law at all. Governor Whitmer signed HB 4045 that month, and the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act took effect on March 24, 2026, making Michigan the 39th state with statutory protections against strategic lawsuits aimed at silencing public participation. The law applies to any civil action filed on or after that date…The law was designed for exactly this situation, a person exercises their right to free speech or press on a matter of public concern, and someone with deeper pockets sues to make the speech cost more than the speaker can afford. SLAPP suits do not need to win on the merits. They win by draining the defendant’s resources.”
The tipster’s actions were not mentioned in Fayroian’s libel suit filed in 2024. It’s unclear how knowing the identity of the tipster is crucial to Fayroian’s libel case, or to what extent Fayroian himself went to learn the identity of the tipster, both required steps before asking the Court to compel disclosure.
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