Pendergrass whistleblowers file suit against town
Two of the Pendergrass “whistleblowers” who lost their jobs in July have filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in federal court against the town and are seeking $1 million each.
Former city clerk Katherine Rintoul and police officer Scott Rogers filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that they were fired as retaliation to allegations they made about misuse of city funds and other questionable actions. The lawsuit was filed against Mayor Monk Tolbert; council members Hilda Gee, Judy Stowe, John Pethel and Thomas Marlowe; and city administrator and police chief Rob Russell.
Rintoul and Rogers state in the lawsuit that being fired has led to “mental and emotional distress” and led to their “career path being disrupted and damaged.”
“The city’s condonation, ratification, approval and perpetuation of this retaliatory environment have caused the plaintiffs to suffer severe humiliation, embarrassment, degradation and emotional distress,” the lawsuit reads.
Rintoul and Rogers are asking for $500,000 each in general damages and $500,000 each in punitive damages. They are also asking for their legal fees to be paid for by the city and that they be hired back by the city.
In late June, the two, along with others, went to Mayor Monk Tolbert with evidence of potential wrong-doing by other city officials, including city manager and police chief Rob Russell. Among the allegations was the misuse of city SPLOST funds, profiling police stops, ticket-fixing and that Russell had used the city credit card for personal purchases. The whistleblowers had photocopies of city documents and tape recordings they gave to Tolbert that backed up their claims.
A few weeks later, however, Tolbert fired several city employees, including Rintoul and Rogers, saying the city needed to cut expenses. Since that time, some of the other employees that were fired have been hired back by the city and Tolbert has strongly defended Russell’s actions.
Rintoul and Rogers state in the lawsuit that being fired has led to “mental and emotional distress” and led to their “career path being disrupted and damaged.”
“The city’s condonation, ratification, approval and perpetuation of this retaliatory environment have caused the plaintiffs to suffer severe humiliation, embarrassment, degradation and emotional distress,” the lawsuit reads.
Rintoul and Rogers are asking for $500,000 each in general damages and $500,000 each in punitive damages. They are also asking for their legal fees to be paid for by the city and that they be hired back by the city.
In late June, the two, along with others, went to Mayor Monk Tolbert with evidence of potential wrong-doing by other city officials, including city manager and police chief Rob Russell. Among the allegations was the misuse of city SPLOST funds, profiling police stops, ticket-fixing and that Russell had used the city credit card for personal purchases. The whistleblowers had photocopies of city documents and tape recordings they gave to Tolbert that backed up their claims.
A few weeks later, however, Tolbert fired several city employees, including Rintoul and Rogers, saying the city needed to cut expenses. Since that time, some of the other employees that were fired have been hired back by the city and Tolbert has strongly defended Russell’s actions.
And that's not considering punative damages to punish the town.