By Michelle Ye Hee Lee
The Arizona Republic
If you’d like to discuss employment or health care law, contact David Weissman, director of the Rose Law Group Employment Law and Managed Health Care Law Practice, dweissman@roselawgroup.com
A former assistant Maricopa County manager who was fired a year ago amid a gift controversy involving some of his employees has sued the county and former County Manager David Smith.
Kenny Harris is claiming wrongful termination, defamation, invasion of privacy and violations of civil and constitutional rights. He is requesting a jury trial.
Harris was the county’s top engineer and oversaw public-works agencies. He was fired in December 2011 after he refused to resign over a dispute from three months prior with Smith over Harris’ use of county money to pay fraternity-membership dues, according to public records. Harris later reimbursed the county for the dues, totaling $5,000.
According to Harris’ letter refusing resignation, he was asked to leave his job by the end of the next workday, the same day an Arizona Republic article detailed the county’s internal investigation of 19 employees, mostly in the Facilities Management Department, one of the agencies Harris oversaw.
