CITY OF BRENHAM LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT AMOUNT MUCH LARGER THAN FIRST REPORTED
Update @ 3:55 p.m.: The lawsuit settlement amount paid to a former City of Brenham employee is much larger than first stated – over four times the initial amount.
On Friday, the City of Brenham resolved the case brought against it by Donald Guyton through mediation. The city said in a press release Monday that it agreed to pay $20,000 to bring an end to the case.
However, another press release issued this (Tuesday) afternoon by the McKinney Law Firm in San Antonio, who represented Guyton in the case, stated that the flat amount of the settlement was $90,000. The amount was verified by attorney Christopher McKinney.
When asked to clarify, City Manager James Fisher said the city’s contribution was $20,000, with insurance from the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool paying the remainder. Monday’s press release from the city made no mention of insurance paying a portion of the settlement cost.
Original Story @ 6:52 a.m.: The City of Brenham has settled a lawsuit filed against the city by a former employee.
On Friday, the city resolved the case brought forth by Donald Guyton through mediation, with the city agreeing to pay $20,000 to bring an end to the case.
The civil case was filed April 17, 2020 in U.S. District Court in Austin. According to online court documents, the nature for the suit was job discrimination due to race.
City Manager James Fisher said after thorough investigation of the facts of the case, the city determined it “had not acted improperly.” However, he also said the settlement of the case is “in the best interest of the city,” allowing staff to focus their time and resources on serving Brenham citizens.
Guyton, who is Black, was employed by the city from approximately November of 2010 through September of 2019, according to online records. Guyton was a maintenance worker in the Public Works department, and his title at the time of his termination was Parks Electrician. He was represented in the case by Christopher McKinney of the McKinney Law Firm in San Antonio.