Borough President Eric Adams is facing claims that he retaliated against a community board chair after the chair accused him of firing a 66-year-old district manager on the ground that she was too old. The community board chair claims that he was intentionally not reappointed to the position he had held for nearly 20 consecutive years because of the matter.
The community chair has filed a lawsuit seeking $20 million in damages. In the body of the suit, the chair claims that Adams suggested the former district manager was “too old for the job and had to go.” Despite these remarks, the chair told Adams that the district manager was actually quite competent at the job and that firing this individual without cause would be illegal. The claim further suggests that Adams repented with veiled threats that the chair fire the district manager or be prepared for retaliation.
The district manager was also quick to file her own suit, which is pending as of the time of reporting. The community chair notes that his support of the manager has caused some backlash in the board, just as he was coming up for a 44th year as a board member. In the letter the chair received to inform him that he would not be reappointed that year, he was told that “giving other residents the opportunity to sit on the board” was the reason for his not being reappointed.
Wrongful termination can come in many shapes and sizes, but it is all wrong. Individuals who believe they have been wrongfully terminated may find that proper representation by a legal professional can help them seek to be made whole from their ordeal.
