MORGANTOWN – The Morgantown city clerk has filed a lawsuit against the city, the mayor and three city council members.
Linda Tucker has served loyally as the city clerk for approximately 24 years and, in February 2016, she provided testimony at a judicial trial seeking the removal of Mayor Marti Shamberger, Deputy Mayor William Kawecky, Jennifer Selin and Nancy Ganz, according to a complaint filed March 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Tucker claims the removal petition that was filed by a citizen of Morgantown alleged that the defendants engaged in misconduct, malfeasance in office, incompetence and neglect of duty.
Subsequent to her testimony, Tucker experienced a systematic pattern of retaliation at the hands of the defendants, including baseless and exceedingly negative job performance evaluations, according to the suit.
Tucker claims she was also subjected to a hostile work environment rife with harassment and unwarranted scrutiny, which continues to the present.
Tucker was one of several city employees, including former City Manager Jeff Mikorski and former Assistant City Manager Glen Kelly, to testify in a petition brought in 2015 by George Papandreas.
Tucker claims Ganz made retaliatory comments after she provided testimony, including alluding that if the case filed by Papandreas was dismissed, Tucker would be fired.
In her testimony, the plaintiff was speaking out as a citizen regarding government misconduct and as such, her speech warranted protection under the First Amendment, according to the suit.
Tucker is seeking compensatory damages with pre- and post-judgment interest. She is being represented by Sean W. Cook of Meyer Ford & Glasser.