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Another controversy emerged surrounding the PHM School Board elections when Amber Farmer, a supporter of candidate Katie Bell, threatened a local journalist with legal action over the posting of already publicly available documents.
On Sunday evening, Redress South Bend received a series of aggressive text messages from an unidentified number, later confirmed to belong to Amber Farmer, demanding the removal of her personal information from a publicly available document (Katie Bell's Can-12 Form.)
The ordeal began when Farmer texted, demanding Redress to "black out and take down my personal information" and accused Redress of violating HIPAA regulations by sharing her date of birth. Farmer's message warned, "If you do not comply, I will file a formal grievance. Buckle up." She further asserted, "Take it down now," without ever specifying her identity or her connection to the matter.
When Redress attempted to clarify by asking, "Who are you filing a grievance with? Also, Google who is covered under HIPAA," Farmer replied merely with more demands to "take it down" and a disparaging remark, "Don't be a douchebag." Despite several inquiries by Redress for Farmer to reveal her identity, Farmer remained evasive, repeating her demands: "You don’t have my permission and you need to remove it."
The exchange continued to spiral as Farmer threatened, "I’ll file all the complaints. It’s not necessary for me to explain anything to you besides you are violating my personal privacy and rights." She insisted, "Any leak of personal information is considered health information since you listed my DOB publicly." In response, Redress pointed out that the document in question was a government form for a declaration of candidacy, and as such, is public information. Farmer’s rebuttal was dismissive: "take it down."
Farmer escalated matters, vowing legal action with: "You're an idiot. I’ll [see] my attorney in the morning," threatening with, "See you in court." Yet, the identity of this mysterious texter came to light through a phone number search, linking the exchange to Farmer. As one of the initial signers for Katie Bell’s candidacy, Farmer’s attempt to intimidate a journalist with misapplied legal threats raises questions about the company Katie Bell keeps and the maturity of those she aligns with for her campaign. In this light, critics argue, "If Farmer is any representation of Bell or who Bell hangs out with, the PHM School Board can do better." This incident casts a shadow on Bell's campaign and suggests a need for thoughtful reflection on the part of the voters in the upcoming election.
Katie Bell's Can-12 Form, is publicly viewable on SJCIndiana.gov, or you can download it here:
Redress later received a submission on our website from Farmer stating: "Expect to hear from my attorney for publishing my personal information without consent. DOB is a HIPAA violation!! Black it out and take it down. How dare you!"
You can view the text messages here:
