Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – April 15, 2024 – The lawsuit by Rachel Anderson against the city of Jonesboro, Mayor Harold Copenhaver and Police Chief Rick Elliott over her firing last November has been settled, according to Jonesboro City Council member LJ Bryant.
Anderson, the former senior video analyst for the police department’s Real Time Crime Center, filed suit against Elliott and Copenhaver after she was fired Nov. 14, apparently over comments she made during a public hearing on a proposed bond issue.
According to Bryant, the settlement would award Anderson $99,000 and the letter of termination in her personnel file would be changed to a letter of resignation. Bryant said the Arkansas Municipal League would pay $60,000-plus of the settlement, with the city of Jonesboro paying the rest.
The City Council must approve the terms of the settlement and is expected to do so Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Brian Richardson, an assistant to Copenhaver, said Monday that “A tentative agreement between legal counsels to be presented to city council for their consideration has been reached.
“At this time there has not been a resolution drafted, but we do anticipate the matter being discussed at city council tomorrow. Attorneys for the city and (Arkansas Municipal League) will be on hand to answer any questions to the best of their ability.”
Anderson spoke in opposition to Copenhaver’s plan to merge the 911 Dispatch Center with the Real Time Crime Center and move the combined units to another building. Her comments were made during a public comments period at a City Council meeting in November.
On Feb. 2, special Judge Bentley Story ordered the city to conduct a name-clearing hearing for Anderson, and on Feb. 6, he followed up by ordering mediation between Anderson and the city officials.
On Feb. 12 Copenhaver and Elliott’s attorney, Chris Stevens of Little Rock, asked Bentley to reconsider his ruling,
Anderson’s attorneys, Lucien Gillham and Luther Sutter of Little Rock, said she deserved the name-clearing hearing because of the publicity of her firing had an ill effect on her career opportunities.
In a written response to her firing, Elliott wrote, “Her statements and actions are considered to be arrogant and insubordinate, and she certainly spoke ill of a project that is being worked on. Therefore, I felt betrayed by her actions. I no longer have any faith or confidence in her as an employee that she can or will follow my direction of operations in the department.”
Anderson has since been hired as Editor-in-Chief of this news site. However, to safeguard journalistic integrity, Anderson was not involved in the writing of this story.
