Tolleson Union superintendent files defamation lawsuit against Rep. Matt Gress
Based on reporting by Camryn Sanchez for KJZZ, published May 1, 2026.
Jeremy Calles, superintendent of the Tolleson Union High School District, has sued Republican Rep. Matt Gress of Phoenix, accusing him of defamation, KJZZ reported. The suit is the newest chapter in a long-running feud between the two.
The dispute goes back to 2025, when Calles helped arrange a deal with the financially troubled Isaac school district in Phoenix. Isaac signed a $25 million lease purchase agreement with Tolleson and is repaying it over time. Gress, who had been pursuing a legislative fix for Isaac, saw Tolleson's arrangement as predatory and said it was illegal. Calles has insisted he received no payment from the deal.
Calles is the only employee of a consulting firm that advises school districts. His lawsuit alleges that Gress defamed him on purpose and damaged that business by making clients hesitant to work with him. According to the complaint, Mesa Unified's chief financial officer stopped consulting through the firm after his superintendent told him to end the association, and Fountain Hills Unified dropped the firm's services around the same time. The complaint attributes both losses to Gress's public accusations and alleges he meant to disrupt Calles's business.
After serving Gress with a notice of claim in October 2025, Calles filed the lawsuit in April 2026. He wants a jury trial and is seeking damages.
Gress called the lawsuit a "pathetic attempt" to undermine the Legislature's oversight and said he welcomes discovery, which he hopes will finally reveal the district's spending. "Either way, this meritless lawsuit won't prevent me from doing my statutory duty to provide oversight over Arizona's political subdivisions," he said in a text.
KJZZ reported that Gress asked for Tolleson's financial records months earlier but would not pay the $26,000 the district sought to fill the request.