Whenever prominent people are pitted against each other in a court case, their friends tend to take sides. That is the situation regarding people involved in the case of former Superintendent Mike Aytes vs. the Richmond Board of Education.

No one interested in the elected board should have been surprised about Aytes’ decision to sue. Aytes made clear when the board placed him on leave and later fired him that he believed he had acted in accord with his contract and he would seek justice. At the same time, the board suggested Aytes had failed to meet the terms of his contract. The differences of opinion made filing the lawsuit an obvious outcome.

What came as a surprise – possibly even to coach Nick Persell – is that Persell became an unwitting party to the suit. Aytes’ suit states the board fired him for attempting to manage Persell following alleged, not proven, misbehavior as a coach and if true, frankly, as a human being.

Unlike friends of Aytes, the board and Persell, this newspaper is taking no sides in this case. This newspaper does not shy away from taking sides, when one side is clearly wrong and another clearly right, based on the application of facts. But in this case, facts are in dispute and the best place to reach a resolution is in the courts, which is where a decision will be reached in the coming months, barring a settlement.

But we will offer these observations:

• If allegations about Persell are true, then the board erred grievously and possibly with misfeasance by failing to let Aytes act, a situation voters should address in the next election;

• If allegations made in the suit regarding Persell are baseless, then anyone who suggested Persell acted inappropriately should apologize to him;

• If allegations that Aytes did not live up to his contract are true, then the board acted properly to dismiss him; and

• If the board acted inappropriately by dismissing Aytes, then it should be required to make good on his contract and pay punitive damages.

In the meantime, speculation will rule until the court does.