Former prep coach’s defamation case against Fresno schools trustee back in court
A judge could dismiss a Fresno Unified trustee from a lawsuit after she allegedly defamed a renowned high school football coach.
Fresno Superior Court Judge Kristi Culver Kapetan will decide July 21 if the civil defamation case against Keshia Thomas will continue. Former Bullard High football coach Don Arax sued Thomas and Fresno Unified after a 2022 podcast appearance, where Thomas accused Arax of using a racial slur against her son at a football camp.
Recently released court documents showed Arax used derogatory language about Thomas in text messages to the school’s principal hours after the podcast appearance. The case, filed in 2022, has cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
Thomas is running for Fresno City Council District 3, where she will face Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula.
FULL STORY: What did Don Arax call Keshia Thomas in a text message? It’s not polite
Here are key takeaways:
- Don Arax, former Bullard High football coach, sued FUSD and Trustee Keshia Thomas after Thomas alleged on a May 2022 GV Wire podcast that Arax used a racial slur toward her son at a football camp.
- Text messages introduced during a March 2026 deposition show Arax called Thomas a profane name and told Bullard Principal Armen Torigian, “I’m going to sue,” hours after Thomas’ podcast appearance.
- FUSD has spent $201,434 on its own legal costs and $130,799 on Thomas’ legal costs, according to district records covering May 2022 through March 2026.
- The texts also reference the controversial 2022 photo of a Bullard student wearing what some interpreted as a KKK-style white hood, which sparked a student walkout and district discipline. Others, including Arax, said the hood mimicked a contestant on “American Ninja Warrior.”
- A Fresno County Superior Court judge will consider Thomas’ motion for summary judgment on July 21. If granted, it would remove Thomas from the case.
- Thomas, a trustee for nearly eight years, is headed for a November runoff for Fresno City Council District 3.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
