Man says groups kicked him out of abuse conference

CHARLESTON - A Putnam County man is suing an unincorporated West Virginia organization because he claims he was wrongfully removed from a conference on abuse.

Ron Foster attended a conference offered by the West Virginia Children's Justice Task Force in November 2006. On his registration form, he states his discipline was "False Claims of Abuse" and that he represented "Men Against Discrimination," the suit says. He paid registration for the conference.

Foster attended two sessions of the conference. During one session, Foster expressed to two different people that not all domestic violence and not all child abuse is perpetrated by men and requested the presenter make his presentation more gender neutral, the suit says.

During the afternoon of Nov. 1, the suit says Foster was approached by Frank Fazzolari, a member of the West Virginia Children's Justice Task Force, and a West Virginia State Police officer, and was advised to leave the conference. Foster claims Fazzolari said he was given "multiple complaints of disruptive behavior" about Foster, but refused to cite a specific incident or name a specific person complaining.

Foster was escorted out of the conference under threat of arrest for trespassing.

In the suit filed Jan. 11, Foster is seeking compensation for breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sexual discrimination. He is also asking the court to enter an injunction enjoining the defendants from utilizing tax monies in the form of grants from conducting gender biased presentations in the forms of conferences, handouts, mailings, etc.

Foster is being represented by attorney Mike Clifford, and the case has been assigned to Judge Louis Bloom.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 07-C-68