Another lawsuit likely in Crawford County library saga

The Crawford County Public Library System saga continues to be expensive for the county. A lawsuit may soon be filed that alleges the violation of a separation agreement with former Library Director Deidre Gryzmala.

Under pressure from those opposing LBGTQ+ books, then Crawford County Library Director Deidre Gryzmala resigned in February 2023 with a $40,687.50 severance deal. The deal included a separation agreement with a non-disparagement clause

“The clause required both Deidre and the County to refrain from ‘criticizing, denigrating, or disparaging each other.’ My Client has abided by this Clause, unfortunately the County has not,” Christopher Hooks, an attorney with Robertson, Beasley, Shipley & Robinson, noted in an April 23 letter to Crawford County Judge Chris Keith. (Link here for a PDF of the letter.)

Hooks, who represents Gryzmala, said his client seeks $100,000 to settle the violation of the clause.

Tammy Hamby and her husband Dr. Jeffrey Hamby, a Van Buren family physician, worked in November 2022 with the River Valley City Elders to lead a campaign against LBGQT+ books then available through the library system. Tammy Hamby, an elected member of the Crawford County Quorum Court, would be appointed to the Crawford County Library Board by Keith and named the board chair, a position she held for a year.

The county lost a lawsuit, filed in May 2023 by attorney Brian Meadors, that claimed the board’s actions to relocate or remove books was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III in September 2024 ruled against Crawford County and said the books in question are to be returned to their original locations in the county’s libraries.

The county would also lose a federal lawsuit in December 2024 in which U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks ruled Act 372 unconstitutional. The Act sought to give library officials a process to ban or otherwise censor books. Crawford County was listed as a defendant in the case.

All was relatively quiet for Crawford County on the library front until Tammy Hamby made public comments about Gryzmala during an April 18, 2025 Quorum Court meeting. Hamby during the open meeting sought to blame Gryzmala for the lawsuits and said the former library director lied to her about library matters.

“I understand that Mrs. Hamby is upset,” Hooks noted in the letter. “I understand the County may want to paint Deidre as a scapegoat for the County being found liable of committing Constitutional violations. However, that does not give Hamby and the County the right to disparage and denigrate my Client by blaming and disparaging her for the County’s errors.”

An email exchange between Hooks and Gentry Wahlmeier, the attorney representing Crawford County, indicates that the county and the Arkansas Association of Counties were willing to make a settlement offer to Gryzmala.

“The County does not foresee liability and will not provide a prelitigation offer,” Wahlmeier wrote to Hooks in a May 5 email exchange.

In a May 6 email with Talk Business & Politics, Hooks said a lawsuit will be filed.

As of August 2024, Crawford County had spent at least $426,000 on legal fees and severance pay to defend against lawsuits that emerged after Hamby and others sought to relocate or remove certain books.

Judge Keith did not respond to efforts seeking his comment for this story.