Editor’s Note: Habersham County Attorney Donnie Hunt today released a statement on behalf of the county board of commissioners and County Manager Phil Sutton in regard to a federal lawsuit filed against them. The statement below is from Mr. Hunt and is published as it was received.
“Habersham County Board of Commissioners (Board of Commissioners) and County Manager Phillip Sutton (County Manager) have been served with a lawsuit filed by Habersham County Human Resources Director Vinitha Robinson in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Gainesville Division. Ms. Robinson previously filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a federal agency, alleging that the Board of Commissioners and the County Manager discriminated against her by denying her requests for a ten percent raise and to be promoted to a non-existent position of Assistant County Manager. The Board of Commissioners’ decision to deny her requests was a legitimate, performance-based decision. After investigating the charges, the EEOC dismissed her claim. The Board of Commissioners and the County Manager strongly deny that the decision was based on her race. The lawsuit now alleges similar accusations. The Board of Commissioners and the County Manager stand by their decisions and, accordingly, the Board of Commissioners and the County Manager intend to aggressively defend these unsubstantiated allegations.”
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Habersham County Human Resources Director files race discrimination lawsuit
