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Ex-Flint city lawyer loses lawsuit over 2017 firing

Posted at 7:27 PM, Jul 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-26 19:27:07-04

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a former Flint city attorney who claimed she was fired for speaking out about illegal or unethical activities.

Federal Judge David Lawson says Stacy Erwin Oakes’ statements were made in her role as Flint’s chief legal officer. He says she can’t back up a retaliation claim.

Mayor Karen Weaver insists Oakes was dismissed in 2017 because of concerns about her leadership, not because she was blowing a whistle on Flint officials. Lawson says the termination letter was “terse,” but he noted that the mayor also testified to a “litany of performance-related reasons” against Oakes.

The lawsuit was dismissed Wednesday. Weaver says it’s the “right decision.”