“The city feels strongly that this case was totally without merit, but the expense of litigation necessitated the settlement,” said city manager Pat Clements.
Clements said the settlement was partially covered by the Lebanon’s insurance carrier.
Hughes resigned in March 2009 after a supervisor walked in on her allegedly engaging in oral sex with her boyfriend while working in the dispatch center, according to police reports.
Hughes claimed she and her boyfriend were attempting to play a prank on their friend by pretending to engage in oral sex when he left the dispatch area to use the restroom, the police report said. She was discovered by a nighttime shift supervisor who had been working in a different part of the building.
Hughes said the city of Lebanon and specifically city attorney Mark Yurick were not supposed to disclose details of the incident as part of her agreement to resign. Hughes was a public employee and as such her employment file is considered public record.
Hughes’s attorney Randolph Freking said she “vigorously denied” the allegations but decided to take a settlement instead of publicly fighting the charges as long as the city did not disclose the circumstances surrounding it. However, by making the information public, Freking said Hughes had trouble finding work.
“The whole point was to allow her to move on and (the city) sidetracked that possibility,” Freking said when the case was filed in 2009.
Hughes had asked for $25,000, plus attorney fees.
According to the settlement agreement, neither Hughes nor the city can make negative comments about the other in public. Also, if the city is contacted as a reference for Hughes, they are only allowed to give dates of employment and position held, according to the settlement terms.
Freking said that Hughes was happy to be able to move on and hopes to regain a career. He said she was doing an “extensive” job search and was unsure if she would remain in the area.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.
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