FORMER SEALY CITY MANAGER SUING CITY, MAYOR

  

Sealy’s former city manager has filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Carolyn Bilski.

The suit was filed Thursday by Lloyd Merrell, who claims the city and Bilski breached his contract and committed common law fraud, fraud by non-disclosure, and civil theft.  The suit remains pending before the 155^th Judicial District Court of Austin County.

According to court documents, Merrell claims he was unfairly criticized for the city’s recent economic struggles, which he attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.  He alleges that the Sealy City Council and Bilski targeted him as the “sole culprit who was primarily responsible” for the city’s drop in revenue, while they questioned past decisions of his that he claims “bore no relationship to the shortfall whatsoever.”

Merrell also believes the city council and Bilski reached this conclusion without examining evidence or providing him an opportunity to contest these assertions.

In December, Merrell announced he would resign effective February 1^st, with the city council confirming his resignation and that he would be placed on administrative leave and paid his remaining salary, along with unused vacation and sick time, through January 31^st.  The city council then directed Merrell to sign a separation agreement and told him to remove his personal belongings from Sealy City Hall and return his city-issued items.

Merrell did not sign the separation agreement, saying the city’s actions had served as effective termination of his services.  He demanded severance pay in addition to the compensation through the end of his contract.  The city council unanimously accelerated Merrell’s last date of employment to January 5^th, which Merrell claims was to “deny paying the entire amount of compensation” due to him.

Merrell is seeking monetary relief of $250,000 or less and non-monetary relief.  He is being represented in the case by the Weaver Law Firm of Houston.

When asked for comment on the lawsuit, Bilski said it is city policy to not comment on any active or pending litigation.