The Indianapolis City-County Council has settled legal claims by two city employees that they were wrongly fired from their jobs by former President Stephen Clay for $125,000.
The claims stemmed from the time Clay was President and fired two employees; then Council Clerk Natrina Debow and SaRita Hughes who was the assistant Clerk at the time.
Clay had argued at the time that he had the legal authority to fire both DeBow and Hughes because the two had received improper raises. He also insinuated that documents related to the salary increases had been shredded.
However, their attorney, Octavia Florence Snulligan said not only were Clay’s claims false, but only the full Council had the legal authority to remove the two from their jobs.
“My clients are the epitomes of exemplary and faithful public servants. They never deserved the wrath of the ‘resigned-moments-before-removal’ former Council President Clay nor the aftermath he exacted on their reputations through his boisterous use of falsehoods, assumptions, and innuendos,” Snulligan said. “As their counsel, I believed a higher settlement was warranted, but they both just wanted closure so as to continue their lives and service to our beloved Indianapolis.”
Under the terms of the settlements, Debow received $100,000 while Hughes was paid $25,000.
Clay stepped down as President before being removed from office. He resigned from the body earlier this year and now works for the Marion County Sheriff’s Department.
DeBow now works for the County Clerk’s office while Hughes is now the Council Clerk,
