Ottawa County ordered to pay $188K for health officer's attorney fees

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – Ottawa County has been ordered by a judge to pay for its health officer’s attorney fees stemming from a wrongful termination lawsuit that began in February 2023.

Health Officer Adeline Hambley sued the county and seven of the 11 board members last February after the board, led by members of the far-right group Ottawa Impact, attempted to fire her at their first meeting in January 2023. The lawsuit claimed the county board illegally demoted her, then tried to fire her without cause.

The lawsuit stretched over more than a year, resolving in late February of this year when the county and Hambley agreed to a settlement that required the county to drop termination proceedings against Hambley in exchange for her dropping the wrongful termination lawsuit. Hambley and her deputy health officer, Marcia Mansaray, both kept their jobs in the agreement. Mansaray later announced her retirement this past June in order to run for the State Legislature.

At the time of the settlement agreement, it was decided that Muskegon County Judge Jenny McNeill would determine if Ottawa County was on the hook for paying Hambley’s attorney fees.



https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2024/08/ottawa-county-ordered-to-pay-188k-for-health-officers-attorney-fees.html