Former MINA leader files suit against board members
Nancy McCleary, The Sanford Herald, N.C.
5 min read
Jan. 6—The former executive director and lead administrator at MINA Charter School has filed a lawsuit against the school and president of its board of directors alleging a breach of contract, defamation, and "intentional infliction of emotional distress" in terminating him from his position.
Dr. Shawn Williams is also seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the school from hiring anyone to fill the director's position and from disposing of his personal property.
The suit was filed in Lee County Superior Court on Dec. 21 by Williams' lawyer, James E. Hairston Jr. of Raleigh.
Williams, 61, and his brother founded the school in 2020, naming it after their late mother, Wilhemina.
Williams is seeking more than $150,000 in "compensatory and consequential damages and a jury trial.
Among the allegations in the lawsuit are that the schools board of directors and its president, Omar Macias, violated the N.C. Open Meetings laws on multiple occasions.
It's alleged in the lawsuit that links to the Zoom meeting that were emailed were intentionally incorrect to prevent MINA parents from attending a regular board meeting.
Williams' brother and wife were board members, as was Arethra Best, a family friend, but the suit contends they were wrongfully taken off the board because of the relationships.
However, the state Office of Charter Schools knew of the board membership and said there was no violation so long as Williams' brother, Robert, and wife, Joyce, took no part in any personnel or salary issues related to Williams' status, according to the legal documents.
Several of the allegations in the lawsuit name the board's lawyer, Lisa Gordon Stella, as providing wrongful information and influencing members to take actions questioning decisions made by Williams.
She is accused of preventing Joyce Williams from attending a virtual meeting and hiring a human resources consulting firm to question Williams about alleged actions and comments while employed at MINA.
The chain of events began unfolding in May when Macias notified Williams that he was being suspended with pay, according to the documents. Macias told Williams in a phone call that he was being suspended with pay and that he would be notified by Gordon Stella "about the investigation, the suit says.
Williams was ordered to stay off MINA property and not to communicate with employees or staff about his employment status. Meanwhile, the suit alleges that rumors were spread, via social media, about Williams' suspension and hints that he had engaged in "illegal financial transactions with school funds."
The suit says Williams returned his identification and school property, but that his personal computer used at work has not been returned.
Since his termination, Williams says he was refused a loan because the board and Gordon Stella have refused to verify his past employment. They have also refused to release his 401K retirement account funds as well.
The suit also addresses an incident in May when Williams was asked to speak with Shawn Staub, owner of ALT HR, a Greensboro-based consulting firm specializing in several area including Employee Relations and Difficult Conversation, according to its website.
The interview was recorded, according to the lawsuit.
Williams was shown copies of several checks written to individuals and asked about them. He replied they were for small repair jobs at the school. Straub then asked if the repair jobs had been put out to bid, the suit says. No, Williams said, because all the checks were under $5,000.
Williams asked why there was concern about the checks.
"Ms. Straub stated she was only asking questions that Gordon Stella wanted her to ask about the checks," the lawsuit says.
Williams was then asked about his temperament and had he ever yelled at anyone, the suit said. On two occasions he did so, he said, because of employees being insubordinate in front of others.
Williams further explained that he a loud, deep voice having been a drill instructor in the military as well as law enforcement jobs. He speaks with authority given the background, the suit says.
He was asked if he had ever made "disparaging remarks" about Muslims. Williams said he may have a question but not in a disparaging manner.
"The conversation then turned to sex," the suit says.
Williams was asked working late in the building when a woman was also working. Yes, he said, because he was usually the last to leave.
Straub then began asking Williams about his relationship with his staff and whether he had ever had sex with any of them, had he dated any of them or touched am employee in an "inappropriate manner," according to the documents.
Williams was asked if he had complimented staff members or been accused of making inappropriate remarks. No, he said.
At the June meeting of the MINA board, members were addressed by an ALT HR representative, but not Straub, who had conducted the interview, documents say.
"Upon information and belief, the representative told the Board that Dr. Williams had 'admitted everything.' The Board was not presented with the recorded interview," the suit says.
Gordon Stella is also accused of telling the board that about six employees felt that Williams had discriminated against them but didn't come forward while his brother and wife were on the board.
The suit also alleges that Gordon Stella told board members that those employees could file complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission "and that she was trying to make sure that didn't happen."
