EAST ST. LOUIS - City leaders fired housing authority board member Shonte Mueller and assistant police chief Nicholas Mueller because she tried to clean up the housing authority and he protected her, according to a suit they filed at U.S. district court on Oct. 15.
Their counsel Cody Reinberg of St. Louis County claimed the First Amendment protected Shonte when she reported corruption.
He claimed Illinois human rights law protected Nicholas when he refused to curb her efforts.
According to the complaint the city promoted Nicholas to assistant chief and appointed Shonte to the housing board last year.
Reinberg claimed Nicholas was an East St. Louis officer for 31 years.
According to the suit, Shonte had extensive experience with federal housing rules and regulations and she maintained a federal endorsement as a mortgage underwriter.
Shonte allegedly discovered the interim executive director didn’t follow policies and procedures.
She reported fraudulent conduct to upper levels of city government and was told to leave it alone.
She also reported it to the authority’s attorney who recommended suspension of the interim director and an investigation.
A representative of the city allegedly told her if she did not resign, she and her husband would suffer consequences.
Shonte scheduled a board meeting last October to determine the status of the interim executive director.
Shonte allegedly received reports of potential disruptions and violence and spoke with Nicholas about ensuring safety.
The suit claims that Nicholas went to the meeting to ensure there was no breach of the peace.
The board then suspended the interim director.
The city manager Robert Betts allegedly told Nicholas three days later he’d be terminated if he didn’t retire then and there.
“This is tantamount to termination,” the suit claims.
Betts then allegedly connected Nicholas’s termination to Shonte’s reports and the meeting.
Betts allegedly issued a public notice of charges four days later accusing Shonte of incompetence and insinuating that she engaged in criminal activity.
“Defendant acted with malice to harm plaintiff,” the suit claims.
“The statements at issue are defamatory.”
Shonte was allegedly told she could resign or engage in a hearing that she knew had a predetermined outcome.
The city terminated her on Nov. 16.
The suit claims that the city tarnished her reputation and diminished her income potential.
She allegedly suffered anguish, embarrassment, emotional distress and other damages to be proven at trial.
The suit claims her speech was a matter of public concern. Shonte wanted and wants to protect the public from fraudulent actions and those that could disqualify her community from state and federal funding.
The suit requests an order for the city to train all managers regarding retaliation and adopt effective procedures for reporting and investigating it.
It also requests an order forbidding future violations of Illinois human rights law.
Shonte seeks lost wages, compensatory and punitive damages, and any other available statutory damages.
The court clerk randomly assigned District Judge David Dugan.