Spring Break
Former student president faces accusations of forgery
Alexia Stout-Lang and Tyler Allen
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: News
Multiple sources have accused former Student Government Association (SGA) President Bridgett Johnson of forgery.
Students and former SGA members allege Johnson presented a forged document as evidence in a lawsuit brought against her in Jackson County Small Claims Court by law student Tim Collins.
Collins represented Johnson in a 2008 UMKC Superior Court case in exchange for 20 percent of any money awarded. He then sued Johnson in April 2009 in Small Claims Court after she failed to pay him 20 percent of the $500 she was granted. Collins lost the case based upon a document allegedly signed by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Mel Tyler.
"Bridgett Johnson stole Student Life stationary, created a letter stating that UMKC never paid her and forged Vice Chancellor Mel Tyler's signature and presented it in court as a true document," said Shannon Blood, former SGA president and administrative vice president. "She confessed that to me in the SGA office."
U-News made numerous attempts over the past month to contact Johnson in regard to the allegations. She has not responded.
Jeffrey Traiger, assistant dean of Students, commented on behalf of Tyler. Through Traiger, Tyler neither confirmed nor denied the allegations his signature was forged.
"This division takes its role very seriously, especially in maintaining student information, essentially what is provided under federal law by FERPA [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]," Traiger said. "Part of that, we don't really want to verify or discuss the specifics of an individual student's behavior in regard to the situation you described."
SGA hired Johnson in 2006 for a one-year term as election director for $800. In spring 2007, she was paid in full and given an additional $200 bonus for elections she had already organized. That $1,000 is not in dispute.
Bylaws put into place in 2007 after she became election director gave her the additional duties of organizing 17 council elections to nominate representatives to serve on the Student Activity Fees Council. According to the new bylaws, the election director "should receive $1,000."
On those grounds, Johnson filed suit in the UMKC Superior Court in November 2007 against the SGA to collect the additional $1,000.
"The claim was kind of a back pay/breech of agreement/we both really don't like each other and we just can't agree about how much I am owed for the work that I did," said Nate Jones, the UMKC Superior Court Chief Justice who presided over the hearing.
In the end, Jones said Collins presented a good case on her behalf. So, the UMKC Superior Court awarded her $500 in a decision released Feb. 25, 2008.
Eight days after the decision was announced, Collins contacted Johnson by e-mail regarding his payment.
"I represented her successfully and we had an agreement that she would pay me a percentage of whatever she won," Collins said. "She won $500, so I told her I was owed $100."
She responded via e-mail that she had not received the money. Collins advised her that his compensation was not based on Johnson's receipt of the funds, but rather the award.
According to the payment voucher made when the funds were allocated, Johnson received the $500 on March 12, 2008.
However, by April 2, 2008, Collins still had not received his part, so he filed suit in Jackson County. Over one year later, April 17, 2009, the case was heard by a judge.
"I got to [small claims] court, introduced all of my evidence and she introduced some evidence, a document she claimed to be a second ruling from the Superior Court and she introduced a document from Mel Tyler where he claims she did not receive any money," Collins said. "That basically made the judge rule in her favor."
The document allegedly from Tyler, a letter dated April 14 (a month after the funds were issued), states: "Bridgett Johnson did file a petition with the University of Missouri-Kansas City Superior Court, and originally the court did find in her favor in the amount of $500. However after further review of her responsibilities by the office of Student Affairs, the Superior Court's original ruling was overturned and Bridgett L. Johnson did not receive the recommendation made by the court."
U-News found no record of the Superior Court's original ruling being overturned.
Blood said Bridgett told her she had been trying before the Small Claims Court trial to get a letter from Accounting stating she had not been paid. But, the office would not give it to her, Blood said.
"When she got back from [Small Claims] court she said the letter made all the difference, so that's when I knew," Blood said. "Because I looked at her and I said, 'Bonita [Baxter, manager of Business Fiscal Operations] gave you the letter?' And she just kind of looked at me and I knew. I confronted her and she admitted it."
Blood gave Johnson two days to call and tell Tyler about the letter. Then Blood called Tyler's office to ensure the office had been notified.
"I never told any of my officers, I took it to the vice chancellor and trusted that he'd deal with it," Blood said.
Other SGA senators allegedly heard about the situation from Johnson and word began to circulate. Eventually, Klassie Alcine, who served as administrative vice president during Johnson's term as president, heard about it.
"What happened was Bridgett was so happy she won that she told one person that was on the [SGA]," Alcine said. "I was talking to her [Johnson] and said, 'Hey is this true that you forged this letter?' She said, 'Yes, but I want to keep things quiet.'"
When Collins heard about the possibility of the letter being forged, he took a closer look at it, noticing the letter was written on Student Life letterhead, when normally letters sent by Tyler are drafted on letterhead from the Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Collins said.
Collins then looked into the possibility of filing for a retrial in Small Claims Court.
"Before I filed suit, I called Mel and I asked him his version of what happened and I told him I was going to file," Collins said. "He told me he had a conversation with Bridgett and, as far as the university is concerned, the matter is closed."
Small Claims Court requires any request for a new hearing to be filed within 14 days of the original trial, so Collins was not able to take Johnson back to court.
Despite the situation, Collins said he is not upset with the university, but he is disappointed with the way the situation was handled.
"It's very disappointing to me that someone with so much authority at the university would let something like this happen," he said. "... I was actually not going to come to the UMKC Law School because of it. But I have my priorities and I have a family and I know law school has nothing to do with Mel Tyler."
Collins noted Johnson did face some disciplinary action, but he does not feel it was what she deserved.
"From my understanding, Mel had a conversation with Bridgett, he took away her scholarship award and he let her graduate," he said.
Alcine said it is unfortunate the situation had to happen.
"Why would you risk everything?" Alcine said. "To me, the saddest part is she did not get the punishment she deserved. They pretty much just swept it under the carpet. That's sad because if she was a regular student she would have got a way bigger penalty."
Jones said he observed during the UMKC Superior Court trial that Johnson took the situation very seriously and it was important to her that she received what she thought she earned.
"It was a big issue for her," he said. "A big issue for her."
alang@unews.com, tallen@unews.com
Students and former SGA members allege Johnson presented a forged document as evidence in a lawsuit brought against her in Jackson County Small Claims Court by law student Tim Collins.
Collins represented Johnson in a 2008 UMKC Superior Court case in exchange for 20 percent of any money awarded. He then sued Johnson in April 2009 in Small Claims Court after she failed to pay him 20 percent of the $500 she was granted. Collins lost the case based upon a document allegedly signed by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Mel Tyler.
"Bridgett Johnson stole Student Life stationary, created a letter stating that UMKC never paid her and forged Vice Chancellor Mel Tyler's signature and presented it in court as a true document," said Shannon Blood, former SGA president and administrative vice president. "She confessed that to me in the SGA office."
U-News made numerous attempts over the past month to contact Johnson in regard to the allegations. She has not responded.
Jeffrey Traiger, assistant dean of Students, commented on behalf of Tyler. Through Traiger, Tyler neither confirmed nor denied the allegations his signature was forged.
"This division takes its role very seriously, especially in maintaining student information, essentially what is provided under federal law by FERPA [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]," Traiger said. "Part of that, we don't really want to verify or discuss the specifics of an individual student's behavior in regard to the situation you described."
SGA hired Johnson in 2006 for a one-year term as election director for $800. In spring 2007, she was paid in full and given an additional $200 bonus for elections she had already organized. That $1,000 is not in dispute.
Bylaws put into place in 2007 after she became election director gave her the additional duties of organizing 17 council elections to nominate representatives to serve on the Student Activity Fees Council. According to the new bylaws, the election director "should receive $1,000."
On those grounds, Johnson filed suit in the UMKC Superior Court in November 2007 against the SGA to collect the additional $1,000.
"The claim was kind of a back pay/breech of agreement/we both really don't like each other and we just can't agree about how much I am owed for the work that I did," said Nate Jones, the UMKC Superior Court Chief Justice who presided over the hearing.
In the end, Jones said Collins presented a good case on her behalf. So, the UMKC Superior Court awarded her $500 in a decision released Feb. 25, 2008.
Eight days after the decision was announced, Collins contacted Johnson by e-mail regarding his payment.
"I represented her successfully and we had an agreement that she would pay me a percentage of whatever she won," Collins said. "She won $500, so I told her I was owed $100."
She responded via e-mail that she had not received the money. Collins advised her that his compensation was not based on Johnson's receipt of the funds, but rather the award.
According to the payment voucher made when the funds were allocated, Johnson received the $500 on March 12, 2008.
However, by April 2, 2008, Collins still had not received his part, so he filed suit in Jackson County. Over one year later, April 17, 2009, the case was heard by a judge.
"I got to [small claims] court, introduced all of my evidence and she introduced some evidence, a document she claimed to be a second ruling from the Superior Court and she introduced a document from Mel Tyler where he claims she did not receive any money," Collins said. "That basically made the judge rule in her favor."
The document allegedly from Tyler, a letter dated April 14 (a month after the funds were issued), states: "Bridgett Johnson did file a petition with the University of Missouri-Kansas City Superior Court, and originally the court did find in her favor in the amount of $500. However after further review of her responsibilities by the office of Student Affairs, the Superior Court's original ruling was overturned and Bridgett L. Johnson did not receive the recommendation made by the court."
U-News found no record of the Superior Court's original ruling being overturned.
Blood said Bridgett told her she had been trying before the Small Claims Court trial to get a letter from Accounting stating she had not been paid. But, the office would not give it to her, Blood said.
"When she got back from [Small Claims] court she said the letter made all the difference, so that's when I knew," Blood said. "Because I looked at her and I said, 'Bonita [Baxter, manager of Business Fiscal Operations] gave you the letter?' And she just kind of looked at me and I knew. I confronted her and she admitted it."
Blood gave Johnson two days to call and tell Tyler about the letter. Then Blood called Tyler's office to ensure the office had been notified.
"I never told any of my officers, I took it to the vice chancellor and trusted that he'd deal with it," Blood said.
Other SGA senators allegedly heard about the situation from Johnson and word began to circulate. Eventually, Klassie Alcine, who served as administrative vice president during Johnson's term as president, heard about it.
"What happened was Bridgett was so happy she won that she told one person that was on the [SGA]," Alcine said. "I was talking to her [Johnson] and said, 'Hey is this true that you forged this letter?' She said, 'Yes, but I want to keep things quiet.'"
When Collins heard about the possibility of the letter being forged, he took a closer look at it, noticing the letter was written on Student Life letterhead, when normally letters sent by Tyler are drafted on letterhead from the Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Collins said.
Collins then looked into the possibility of filing for a retrial in Small Claims Court.
"Before I filed suit, I called Mel and I asked him his version of what happened and I told him I was going to file," Collins said. "He told me he had a conversation with Bridgett and, as far as the university is concerned, the matter is closed."
Small Claims Court requires any request for a new hearing to be filed within 14 days of the original trial, so Collins was not able to take Johnson back to court.
Despite the situation, Collins said he is not upset with the university, but he is disappointed with the way the situation was handled.
"It's very disappointing to me that someone with so much authority at the university would let something like this happen," he said. "... I was actually not going to come to the UMKC Law School because of it. But I have my priorities and I have a family and I know law school has nothing to do with Mel Tyler."
Collins noted Johnson did face some disciplinary action, but he does not feel it was what she deserved.
"From my understanding, Mel had a conversation with Bridgett, he took away her scholarship award and he let her graduate," he said.
Alcine said it is unfortunate the situation had to happen.
"Why would you risk everything?" Alcine said. "To me, the saddest part is she did not get the punishment she deserved. They pretty much just swept it under the carpet. That's sad because if she was a regular student she would have got a way bigger penalty."
Jones said he observed during the UMKC Superior Court trial that Johnson took the situation very seriously and it was important to her that she received what she thought she earned.
"It was a big issue for her," he said. "A big issue for her."
alang@unews.com, tallen@unews.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Andrew
posted 11/03/09 @ 7:31 PM CST
How sad! This is an excellent example of the twisted politics that go on at UMKC. What if some random student did something like this and the administration found out? What would be the punishment I wonder? Probation? Suspension? Expulsion? But for an ex-SGA President it resulted in a slap on the wrist and probably no long term consequences. (Continued…)
Matt Williams
posted 11/09/09 @ 2:56 PM CST
Well I can't say I'm not laughing at this. She decided to stab the people who used to be friends with and care about her in the back and then tried to hide the bloody knife with fraud. (Continued…)
Jason Kotlyarov
posted 11/09/09 @ 3:05 PM CST
This is quite a turn of events. I mean really? All of that over $100? Makes me wonder what else she has done when the stakes were a little higher. Granted I don't think anyone will ever find that out. (Continued…)
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