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Ex-Florence Housing Authority HR chief says board member threatened to punch him, forced his ouster in lawsuit

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A former Florence Housing Authority board member threated to punch the agency's then human resources director in the face before working to get him fired without cause, a newly filed federal lawsuit alleges. Justin Hanna, who spent just over a year in his role with the authority, was fired on Feb. 22, 2023 for 'fighting, threatening, coercing, or intimidating fellow employees' and 'engaging directly' with Jerrod Moultrie, who was a board member at the time. That came one day after Moultrie demanded during a board meeting that Clamentine Elmore — at the time the authority's executive director — reprimand Hanna after he corrected Moultrie for calling him the 'HR guy.' Florence-Housing-Authority-federal-lawsuitDownload 'I can tell you this .. . You might want to find somewhere else to work, because you won't work here anymore,' Moultrie said near the end of the meeting. 'I'll get the last laugh, I promise you.' Hanna's complaint — initially filed on April 7 at the state level — was moved to U.S. District Court's Florence division on Friday. According to the lawsuit, Moultrie continued his aggression after the public portion of the meeting ended, at one point telling Hanna, 'I will punch you in the face,' leading Hanna to file a report with the Florence County Sheriff's Office. Hanna was never given a pre-termination hearing or opportunity to explain his position and asked the authority's grievance board for a meeting on Feb. 28, which never happened. Hanna is suing Moultrie, Elmore, former authority chief operating officer Pamela Stevens and board member Linda Barr-Williams on grounds of defamation, breach of contract, violation of the 14th Amendment and civil conspiracy. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.