CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County man is suing his former employer for making an alleged procedural error when it eliminated his position without calling a public meeting.
Richard Groundchamp filed a lawsuit Feb. 19 in Kanawha Circuit Court against the city of Dunbar, alleging wrongful termination.
According to the complaint, Groundchamp served as Dunbar’s city collector from 2010 to July 11, 2014, when the city eliminated his position. However, the suit says the move violated a state law requiring a public meeting and proper notice before the ordinance regarding his position could be changed.
Groundchamp seeks a jury trial, past and future lost wages and benefits, injunctive relief and litigation costs. He is represented by attorney Scott H. Kaminski of Balgo & Kaminski LC in Charleston. Judge Louis H. "Duke" Bloom is assigned to the case.
Kanawha Circuit Court Case number 16-C-250