A case against Homestead brought by former Deputy City Manager Johanna Faddis was dismissed after a judge decided Faddis lied under oath.
By Christina Veiga
cveiga@MiamiHerald.com
Former Homestead Deputy City Manager Johanna Faddis lied in a lawsuit against the city, and for that her case was thrown out, according to a judge’s order.
Faddis had sued the city for releasing text messages sent to her by her then-boss, former City Manager Mike Shehadeh. Though the messages seemed romantic, with Shehadeh telling Faddis he couldn’t get the married woman off his mind, both denied ever being in a relationship.
In her suit, Faddis claimed the city acted negligently, invaded her privacy, intentionally inflicted emotional distress and defamed her by releasing the messages, which were sent and received on city-issued cell phones.
As the suit moved forward, Faddis’ attorney, Kelsay Patterson, then claimed the messages should have been exempt from Florida’s public records law because they were sexually harassing. Former City Manager Sergio Purriños signed an affidavit that Faddis had reported to him that she had been sexually harassed, but that she had promised not to pursue the matter as long as the city kept it quiet.
That would have triggered an exemption to Florida’s public records laws, Faddis’ attorney argued.
But, in a previous lawsuit, brought by Shehadeh against the city for wrongful termination, Faddis had testified that he had never sexually harassed her. For that reason, in part, the city settled Shehadeh’s case for $250,000.
“Plain and simple, Faddis lied under oath multiple times. It is also clear that her testimony changed in order to suit her strategic needs in this litigation,” Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Jorge E. Cueto wrote in his dismissal of the case.
The city can now ask to recoup its costs for fighting the case, and the City Council could direct its legal team to try to recover attorney’s fees as well, said Joseph Serota, a lawyer for the city.
Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.
Faddis had sued the city for releasing text messages sent to her by her then-boss, former City Manager Mike Shehadeh. Though the messages seemed romantic, with Shehadeh telling Faddis he couldn’t get the married woman off his mind, both denied ever being in a relationship.
In her suit, Faddis claimed the city acted negligently, invaded her privacy, intentionally inflicted emotional distress and defamed her by releasing the messages, which were sent and received on city-issued cell phones.
As the suit moved forward, Faddis’ attorney, Kelsay Patterson, then claimed the messages should have been exempt from Florida’s public records law because they were sexually harassing. Former City Manager Sergio Purriños signed an affidavit that Faddis had reported to him that she had been sexually harassed, but that she had promised not to pursue the matter as long as the city kept it quiet.
That would have triggered an exemption to Florida’s public records laws, Faddis’ attorney argued.
But, in a previous lawsuit, brought by Shehadeh against the city for wrongful termination, Faddis had testified that he had never sexually harassed her. For that reason, in part, the city settled Shehadeh’s case for $250,000.
“Plain and simple, Faddis lied under oath multiple times. It is also clear that her testimony changed in order to suit her strategic needs in this litigation,” Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Jorge E. Cueto wrote in his dismissal of the case.
The city can now ask to recoup its costs for fighting the case, and the City Council could direct its legal team to try to recover attorney’s fees as well, said Joseph Serota, a lawyer for the city.
Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/16/3100909/judge-dismisses-ex-homestead-administrators.html#storylink=cpy
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