BELLEVILLE — A St. Clair County grant writer is suing East St. Louis Township for defamation over a letter accusing him of plagiarism.
Rodney Pace filed a complaint on June 25 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against East St. Louis Township and human resources director La Keisha Adams.
According to the complaint, Pace was fired from the township last year. When he applied for unemployment benefits, Pace claims Adams sent a letter to the benefits office stating the grant writer was dismissed for plagiarizing grants. The letter allegedly damaged Pace's integrity and "exposed him to contempt and ridicule," the complaint states.
Pace seeks a jury trial and damages exceeding $50,000.
He is represented by Justin Summary of the Summary Law Firm in St. Louis.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 18-L-446