Ypsilanti to settle lawsuit with former City Clerk

The City of Ypsilanti has agreed (see pg. 87) to settle a civil rights discrimination lawsuit filed by former City Clerk Cherry Lawson. Lawson, formerly from Detroit, is now the City Clerk in Sedona, Arizona.

Lawson filed the suit claiming she had been discriminated against when she was promoted to interim clerk after long-time City Clerk Bob Slone retired in 2004. Including Slone, nine department managers have left the city in the last 30 months.

When a department manager left the City, it had been the practice over the past two years for the City to appoint an employee as interim manager. The interim manager would then receive the same pay as the manager that had quit.

However, the City did not do that when they promoted Lawson from deputy clerk to interim clerk in 2004.

According to the City, on October 3, 2006, City Council met in closed session with the City’s labor attorney Dave Kempner to discuss options. While the settlement agreement was not available from the City, the settlement amount is expected to be just under $7,000.

City Council will vote on approving the settlement on Tuesday, December 5, 2006.