Judge puts all parties on notice as defamation trial wraps up

A dramatic school defamation trial has wrapped, but not before testimony of suicide attempts and a home invasion, and a final cry of, “Rot in hell, you bitch.”

A VIOLENT home invasion, two suicide attempts, allegations of “evil’’ behaviour and hysterical courtroom outbursts – Tamborine Mountain State High School principal Tracey Brose’s bitter defamation case against a group of school parents was filled with dramatic testimony and theatre from start to finish.

The four-week trial in Southport District Court ended sensationally yesterday with one of the parents, Donna Baluskas, collapsing in tears and yelling “rot in hell, you bitch’’ at Mrs Brose.

Parent collapses in tears on final day of Tamborine school defamation trial

Reason behind Tamborine Mountain State High principal Tracey Brose’s suspension to stay secret

Tamborine Mountain State High principal Tracey Brose suing Donna Baluskas for defamation

Emotions ran high throughout the toxic trial as the parents sought to defend a $1 million-plus landmark lawsuit brought against them by the long-serving principal.

Mrs Brose, who has been head of the close-knit Tamborine Mountain community’s only public high school for 18 years, launched the action against eight parents she accused of defaming her in social media posts after she was mysteriously suspended in February 2016.

She was reinstated four months later, but the reasons for her suspension have never been publicly revealed.

Mrs Brose was allegedly called an “evil, nasty woman’’ and a ‘‘lying, manipulative’’ bully in posts on a “Support Tracey Brose’’ Facebook group and a Change.org petition set up by the school P&C to try to get her reinstated.

Tamborine Mountain State High principal Tracey Brose outside court

Defendants Donna Baluskas (left) and Laura Lawson outside court

Four of the parents reached settlements totalling $180,000 before or during the trial, leaving only three to fight the case (a fourth parent was bankrupted and did not defend proceedings).

The court heard the case had cost Mrs Brose more than $600,000 and that she was seeking $220,000 each from the remaining defendant parents.

Some parents argued that Mrs Brose’s reputation was already ruined before they made their social media posts, and that documents relating to her suspension would show that she was a “bad principal’’ who ‘’behaved horrendously to those she felt were beneath her’’.

The Education Queensland documents were ordered to be released to the parents to use in their defence, but her lawyers immediately lodged an appeal.

The content of the documents never emerged.

Tamborine Mountain State High School

The three parents who remained in court, Donna and Miguel Baluskas and Laura Lawson, told of run-ins they and their children had with Mrs Brose.

The court heard Mr Baluskas would be sentenced next week over a home invasion in which he allegedly kicked in Mrs Brose’s front door and threatened to kill her, prompting her husband Peter to grab a knife from the kitchen to protect his family.

A tearful Mrs Baluskas told the court that her son had tried to hang himself from a tree in the back yard after he was expelled.

Another parent, Laura Lawson, sobbed as she told of trying to kill herself after Mrs Brose’s $150,000 lawsuit arrived the day after her 25-year-marriage collapsed.

Judge Catherine Muir told all parties her findings were unlikely to reflect well on any of them.

She has reserved her decision until next year.