July 25--Forsyth County Sheriff Bill Schatzman has filed an answer to a federal lawsuit, denying he broke federal law in firing a deputy less than a year after the deputy returned from serving in Iraq.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint June 7 against Schatzman and Forsyth County in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina.
The complaint said Schatzman violated federal law protecting military personnel from job discrimination when he fired former deputy Sgt. Michael T. Russell without cause in November 2010.
According to the complaint, Schatzman fired Russell, an Iraq War veteran who lives in Mocksville, after Russell bought $100 tickets in a motorcycle raffle by Dave Griffith, a former deputy who at the time was running against Schatzman for sheriff. Russell denied supporting Griffith's campaign and said he bought the tickets for a chance to win a motorcycle.
Schatzman denied in his answer that he violated federal law in terminating Russell and said that Russell was given proper notice about why he was being fired.
"It is admitted that Sheriff Schatzman terminated Plaintiff for cause due to Plaintiff's disloyalty to Sheriff Schatzman," his answer says. "It is further admitted that Sheriff Schatzman and individuals speaking on his behalf have explained the reasons for Plaintiff's termination."
Russell had told the Journal in 2010 that he was never given a reason for his termination.
Schatzman also denied that Russell was in good standing with the sheriff's office and that his performance "consistently met or exceeded (the sheriff's office's) expectations."
Russell initially filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service. The agency concluded that the complaint had merit and referred the matter to the Justice Department.
Russell was among a group of former deputies in 2010 who tried to push the N.C. General Assembly to change state law that gives sheriffs the authority to hire and fire employees at will. The law wasn't changed.
Copyright 2012 - Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.
