Candidate sues Rep. Dean for defamation
Posted/updated on: February 24, 2026 at 4:08 pm
GREGG COUNTY — 
Melissa Beckett, a Republican candidate for Texas House District 7, has filed a lawsuit against incumbent Rep. Jay Dean for defamation after he accused her of wanting to eliminate the Texas teacher retirement system. She claims that this accusation has negatively impacted her campaign, according to our news partners at KETK.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, claims that two days prior, Dean posted on his official Facebook a post from Texas Education 911 taken from X:
‘Destroy Teacher Retirement? TEXAS EDUCATION 911 Texas Education 911 @TexasEd911 X.com -If Public Education were genuinely DOGEd, we could cut so much waste and return the money to people. -Maybe it’s time to retire the TRS and switch to 401Ks 2:40 PM 12/9/25 95 Views’
He replied: “HD7 alone employs roughly 1,600 teachers, and statewide the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) serves 1.8 million Texans, including nearly 800,000 retirees who depend on it. Calling for the elimination of TRS isn’t bold – it’s reckless and irresponsible. It threatens the financial security of educators who have dedicated their lives to our kids and our communities. And let’s be clear: she knew it was wrong – that’s why she deleted the post. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
The lawsuit says the post by Dean accused Beckett of advocating for eliminating the Texas Teacher Retirement System and of deleting that post after public backlash.
“If true, such an accusation would significantly damage [Beckett’s] campaign because TRS serves approximately 2.1 million Texans… Accusing a candidate of seeking to eliminate TRS would reasonably cause teachers, retirees and their families to view that candidate as threatening their financial security and retirement benefits,” the lawsuit reads.
Although Dean did not explicitly name her in his post on Monday, Beckett’s lawsuit claims that Dean made comments indicating he was referring to the plaintiff as “she” and as “his opponent.” Beckett is the only Republican challenging Dean in the primaries.
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The lawsuit outlines several instances where Dean reiterated that Beckett and “her” organization, which she states she has not been involved with and has not made any social media posts since 2023, have claimed they want to eliminate TRS.
In response to Dean’s posts, public reactions included “Glad to see who proposed this! I’ll make sure I vote!!!” and “anyone that doesn’t realize that retired teachers are one of the biggest block[s] of voters in our state, is just not wise enough to hold office.”
Beckett says comments made by Dean have exposed her to public hatred, contempt and financial distrust, particularly among teachers, retires and their families. This, she claims, harms her professional reputation and fitness for public office. She now seeks monetary damages, together with court costs and other relief.
KETK News reached out to both candidates for a statement:
Rep. Jay Dean:
“You know, I haven’t even seen this lawsuit yet. I’ve heard about it, but everything I’ve said is the truth, so it can’t be defamation if it’s the truth. I’m not too worried about it. We’ve seen them do the same thing to our president, President Trump. When they can’t beat him on policy, they can’t beat him at the ballot box; they make up lawsuit after lawsuit against him. He calls it ‘lawfare.’ That’s all this is. I’m proud to have President Trump’s endorsement in this election, and I’m confident the voters of House District 7 will stand with President Trump, too.”
Melissa Beckett:
“Dean is stirring up anxiety and fear in teachers with a lie to win an election. It angers me – our teachers do not deserve to be used like that. I have not made any statements during this election or any other time about TRS except to deny the lies from Dean. I love our teachers and I would never even consider eliminating their retirement.
I have not been with Texas Education 911 since 2023.”
Texas Education 911 commented on Dean’s post, confirming I have had nothing to do with them since 2023. Dean deleted their comments and has blocked them from his channel, which should concern everyone – why doesn’t he want this information to be known? Truth doesn’t matter to Dean.
Texas Education 911 advocates for students, teachers and parents. All one has to do is look at the testimonies on their website to see what great work they do to protect teachers, children and parents in the public school system. I have not been with Texas Education 911 since 2023.”
