The Maumelle City Council approved paying $42,000 as its part of an $84,000 settlement of a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city and its elected city clerk in a special meeting Tuesday and accepted the resignation of City Clerk Joshua Clausen, effective Aug. 31.
Clausen, midway through his third four-year term as Maumelle city clerk, will be paid $36,000 according to the conditions of the settlement, the resolution defining the terms stated. The payment is equal to about 6 months of Clausen's $57,250 salary plus benefits, Mayor Mike Watson said afterward.
The City Council will appoint a new clerk for the remainder of Clausen's term once he has resigned, Watson said. Clausen attended the special meeting in his capacity as city clerk.
Settlement of the lawsuit came earlier Tuesday in a conference before Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe in U.S. District Court. The lawsuit naming the city and Clausen, individually and in his official capacity, was filed in July 2014 by former city employee Patricia Meyer for a claim of age discrimination. A jury trial had been set for Sept. 5.
Seven of the city's eight aldermen attended the settlement conference. The council's voice vote to accept the conditions was 7-1, without discussion. Alderman Preston Lewis voted no. Lewis didn't attend the settlement conference. The special meeting lasted only three minutes.
In May last year, the City Council approved a $15,000 settlement of a sexual harassment charge against Clausen brought by two female city employees.
Clausen said after the meeting that he denies any wrongdoing and "didn't push" for a settlement of the case.
"I understand the position that the city is in," Clausen said. "I felt like [the resignation] was the best thing for the city and for my family to put all of this behind us and move forward."
The city's $42,000 payment out of its general fund is half of the settlement amount to be paid to Meyer and her attorney, the resolution stated. The remaining $42,000 will be paid by the Arkansas Municipal League's Legal Defense Program, said Amanda LaFever, a Municipal League attorney who represented Maumelle in the lawsuit.
"It went very smoothly, as far as settlement conferences go," LaFever said after the council meeting.
Metro on 08/17/2016