Latest news with #TitleVII
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hugley attorney demands reinstatement, $213,000 and apology from councilors who fired him
Scroll to bottom to see full letter. COLUMBUS, Ga. () — An attorney representing former Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley has sent a letter demanding that his client be reinstated after being fired on Tuesday. The letter, dated Friday, May 30, was sent to Leslie Hartnett, the attorney representing the six city councilors who voted to terminate Hugley after 20 years as city manager and seven months from retirement. Attorney Scott Grubman claimed Hugley's firing violated state and federal law. He pointed out statements made by Councilor Charmaine Crabb in which she made alleged racist remarks in a sheriff's investigative report on the city's Finance Department. She accused Hugley of 'organized crime' and 'mafia-type behavior.' Crabb made the motion to fire Hugley and is the first signature on the termination notice. 'Less than two weeks after this interview report was released, and after Councilwoman Crabb was called out for this improper, racist behavior, including by Mr. Hugley through counsel, she introduced her unscheduled motion to terminate Mr. Hugley's employment, after over 40 years of employment with the City of Columbus, and 20 years as Columbus' first African American City Manager,' Grubman wrote. 'Councilwoman Crabb's signature is the first to appear on Mr. Hugley's termination letter. The letter claims the termination reasons violated Title VII's prohibition on race-based discrimination and retaliation.' WRBL has reached out via text to the 10 city councilors — Crabb, Byron Hickey, JoAnne Cogle, Toyia Tucker, John Anker, Glenn Davis, and Walker Garrett voted to fire Hugley. They have not made any public comments on the termination. Anker responded late Friday saying 'Council does not comment on personnel matters, and particularly now that Mr. Hugley has publicly threatened legal action against the city, we cannot comment. We refer you to any statements made during the Council meeting and vote to terminate Mr. Hugley.' In addition to Hugley's immediate reinstatement, the letter asks for a written apology, and $213,278.52 in compensation. Grubman claims failure to respond by June 6 will result in an EEOC discrimination charge. The attorney also demanded that all relevant documents and communications be preserved. Hugley-Demand-and-Preservation-Letter-May-30Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hugley's attorney says former city manager will fight termination by Columbus council
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — The attorney for former Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley tells WRBL that his client plans to fight his termination. Scott Grubman pulled no punches this afternoon in the first public comments since seven city councilors voted to fire Isaiah Hugley late Tuesday night. According to his attorney, Hugley is weighing his options in the wake of his termination on a 7-3 vote of the city council on Tuesday. Since April, Hugley has been threatening legal action against six of the seven city councilors who voted to fire him. Grubman focused on the role of Councilor Charmaine Crabb. 'Look at the termination letter. Guess whose first signature is right there?' Grubman said. 'It's Councilwoman Crabb. I think it is obvious that this was motivated by racial bias.' Grubman claims Councilor Crabb made racial statements to Sheriff's Office investigators during an investigation of the city's Finance Department. Crabb and other councilors did not respond to a WRBL request for comment. They have not spoken publicly about Hugley's firing. 'Again, you had a councilwoman saying racist things,' Grubman said. 'Apologizing for it. But then a week later firing the long-term city manager based on nothing more than a pretext. That's racism. That's discrimination. That's actionable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. So, I think a federal lawsuit is highly likely.' Hugley was planning to retire at the end of the year after two decades as city manager. The termination notice says he will paid salary and benefits through Dec. 31st. 'What did I say in every single letter?' Grubman said. 'Please just let Mr. Hugley serve out the remainder of his term without harassment or discrimination. And what did they do in response? They fired him after accusing him of being in the Mafia for going to black churches. That is the legal definition of discrimination. So is it going to get messier? It's going to get a lot messier?' Grubman says Hugley wants to pursue an appeal of his firing. Though his office is conflicted out of the case involving Hugley and council, City Attorney Clifton Fay says Hugley does not have any appeal rights through the city. Grubman understands it differently. 'In addition to any sort of litigation that might be filed under the city code Mr. Huguely is entitled to a public hearing, and we will be requesting that public hearing,' Grubman said. 'But we are going to avail ourselves of the hearing because we think it's very important for the public, for the people of Columbus, to see what's going on here.' All of this comes amid speculation that Hugley, the city's first black city manager, is considering a 2026 run for mayor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of California now Trump administration target
Leo Terrell, senior counsel at the Department of Justice and head of its antisemitism task force, singled out the University of California (UC) system on Tuesday as the next target of the Trump administration. There will be 'massive lawsuits against [the] UC system' and other colleges 'on the East Coast, on the West Coast, in the Midwest,' Terrell said in an interview on Fox News's 'The Faulkner Focus.' 'Expect hate crime charges filed by the federal government. Expect Title VII lawsuits,' he added. The Hill has reached out to UC for comment. It is the first indication of where the Trump administration may move next in its higher education fight after escalating its battle with Harvard University to extreme heights. President Trump has taken almost $3 billion in funding from Harvard, threatening $3 billion more, wants to take away the university's ability to have foreign students on campus and has threatened its tax-exempt status. Harvard has sued over the paused funding and order to take away the Ivy League school's ability to admit foreign students. But Terrell said the Trump administration is ready to 'battle in the courtroom,' taking the fight to the highest level it needs. ''If it goes all the way to the Supreme Court, Trump is going to do that,' he said. Massive lawsuits against UC would signal the first major fight against a state public university, with many of the major actions focused on Ivy League schools thus far. 'We have to bring these universities to their knees,' Terrell told Fox News near the end of the interview. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
University of California now Trump administration target
Leo Terrell, senior counsel at the Department of Justice and head of its antisemitism task force, singled out the University of California (UC) system on Tuesday as the next target of the Trump administration. There will be 'massive lawsuits against [the] UC system' and other colleges 'on the East Coast, on the West Coast, in the Midwest,' Terrell said in an interview with Fox News. 'Expect hate crime charges filed by the federal government. Expect Title VII lawsuits,' he added. The Hill has reached out to UC for comment. It is the first indication of where the Trump administration may move next in its higher education fight after escalating its battle with Harvard University to extreme heights. President Trump has taken almost $3 billion in funding from Harvard, threatening $3 billion more, wants to take away the university's ability to have foreign students on campus and has threatened its tax-exempt status. Harvard has sued over the paused funding and order to take away the Ivy League school's ability to admit foreign students. But Terrell said the Trump administration is ready to 'battle in the courtroom,' taking the fight to the highest level it needs. ''If it goes all the way to the Supreme Court, Trump is going to do that,' he said. Massive lawsuits against UC would signal the first major fight against a state public university, with many of the major actions focused on Ivy League schools thus far. 'We have to bring these universities to their knees,' Terrell told Fox News near the end of the interview.
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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
University of California next target of Donald Trump's antisemitism probe
President Donald Trump's administration vowed to expand its probes on college campuses beyond Ivy League institutions to other schools — including the University of California system — as the White House's targeting of higher education intensifies. Leo Terrell, who leads the Justice Department's antisemitism task force, said the UC system should expect 'massive lawsuits,' adding that universities 'on the East Coast, on the West Coast, in the Midwest' are also likely to see legal action. The University of California 'abhors antisemitism' and is working to eradicate it across the system, said Rachel Zaentz, senior director of strategic and critical communications, for UC's office of the president. She added that the institution is cooperating with the Trump administration. 'The university remains entirely focused on strengthening our programs and policies to root out antisemitism and all forms of discrimination,' she said. Terrell, who also serves as a senior counsel at the Justice Department, spoke shortly after the government directed agencies to start cutting off remaining federal funds to Harvard University, which has become the focal point of Trump's fight against antisemitism and left-leaning politics on university campuses. 'We're working on a full front of activity in the courtroom,' Terrell said Tuesday in a Fox News interview. 'Trump is not going to be deterred.' In the same interview, Terrell warned: 'We are going to go after them where it hurts them financially.' He also specifically cited federal hate-crime charges and Title VII lawsuits, which focus on discrimination in hiring, as possible tools the administration could use. The administration has pointed to widespread protests at major universities against the war in Gaza to argue that universities have created a hostile atmosphere for Jewish students. As a public system, the California schools could be more susceptible to federal action on free-speech and civil-rights issues than private institutions like Harvard. The University of California at Los Angeles saw some of the largest demonstrations and the school's former chancellor, Gene Block, was one of several university leaders called to testify before Congress over its handling of the protests. The Trump administration has launched multiple investigations into the 10-campus system, targeting its admissions practices, foreign funding disclosures and campus climate. Federal agencies are reviewing whether UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Irvine violated the Supreme Court's 2023 affirmative action ruling, and are probing UC Berkeley's financial ties to overseas donors. The Justice Department has opened a civil-rights probe into UC over allegations that it supported an 'antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses' for professors, staff and other employees. UC Berkeley is also one of 60 US colleges and universities under investigation by the Department of Education over allegations of 'antisemitic harassment and discrimination.' The system also includes six academic health centers and three national laboratories with 26,100 faculty, 47,700 academic positions and 192,400 staff members. The Education Department released the list of universities in March that have been under investigation for antisemitism, including Yale University, Princeton University and Brown University. So far, Harvard and Columbia University have taken the brunt of the administration's actions, with major research funding revoked. Those moves, along with the administration's efforts to revoke the visas of international students, have embroiled schools and students into protracted legal battles with the government. At Harvard, the Department of Homeland Security sought a sweeping measure to revoke the college's license to admit and retain enrollees from abroad. The president said over the weekend that the federal government was seeking information about foreign students enrolled at Harvard and that he believed that there were too many students from outside the US attending the school. A federal judge has temporarily halted the administration's effort to block foreign visas for Harvard students while the court considers Harvard's lawsuit to block it.
