Leon County Clerk of Court Gwen Marshall Knight is facing a lawsuit by a former high-ranking employee who claims he was “targeted for termination” after reporting alleged office wrongdoing.
Edward Burke, former finance director for the clerk’s office, filed the lawsuit Feb. 26 in Leon Circuit Court, alleging he was wrongfully fired last November after reporting an “improper payment” that was approved by Knight. The complaint also says Burke, who is white, was discriminated against by Knight, who is African American.
“Despite his stellar work performance during his employment with defendant, plaintiff was subjected to disparate treatment, different terms and conditions of employment, and was held to a different standard because of his race and because he reported defendant’s unlawful activities and was subject to retaliation thereafter,” the complaint says.
Knight declined to discuss the lawsuit or an allegation that a number of other employees were fired because of their race.
“I can’t comment on ongoing litigation,” she said in a text message.
The complaint specifically mentions one other Clerk of Court employee who was terminated by Knight but hints at more dismissals. It alleges that during one regularly scheduled meeting of top staff members, Knight asked Burke and everyone else in the room to resign.
Tallahassee attorney Marie Mattox is representing Burke and one other former clerk’s office employee, who has filed a discrimination complaint but not a lawsuit yet. The other former employee alleged in her complaint that more than 20 white employees had been fired.
“This affected primarily, if not exclusively, the white employees in the office,” Mattox said. “And it was tragic for all of them.”
Burke’s lawsuit says he began experiencing retaliation after he received a request for payment in April 2023 but denied it because it wasn’t allowed under Florida law or county purchasing policies.
His complaint doesn’t specify the amount of the payment, its purpose or who asked for it. However, it does say that shortly after he denied the payment, he went on vacation and Knight approved it in his absence.
When Burke returned to the office, he contacted Knight about the payment and supporting documentation that was required for it, the lawsuit says. He said she told him the county would provide the documentation and was “updating their policy for payment requests of this kind.”
When the documentation and policy change never materialized, Burke verbally reported the “improper payment” to Luis Camejo, the clerk’s internal office manager, by calling the fraud, waste and abuse hotline.
Camejo then reported the claim to Knight and the clerk’s internal audit committee but “was denied the ability to investigate” it, Burke’s lawsuit says. Knight also demanded Camejo identify the person who filed the complaint despite protocol that they should remain anonymous, according to the suit.
“After refusing to disclose the name of the claimant to (Knight), Camjeo was terminated for not disclosing the … name,” the complaint says.
Despite that, an “electronic trail” led back to Burke as the person who made the hotline complaint.
“After plaintiff reported (Knight’s) improper payment violation, he noticed that his work situation was changing and that he was being targeted for termination,” the lawsuit says.
Last October, he alleges, Knight ordered him and other top managers to resign.
“On Oct. 30, 2024, plaintiff attended a scheduled senior management meeting where (Knight) requested everyone present to submit their resignations,” the lawsuit says. “Because plaintiff did not comply, he was then informed by (Knight) on Nov. 18, 2024, that his position with the Clerk of the Circuit Court had been terminated.”
Both Burke and the other employee whom Mattox is representing filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Burke’s lawsuit says additional claims will be filed after administrative avenues are exhausted.
He is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, including more than $34,000 in lost wages that continue to accrue, according to recently filed court documents.
Contact Jeff Burlew at [email protected] or 850-599-2180.
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