Former DeKalb Commissioner Gregory Adams is being sued by a second ex-employee.
Gina Mangham said Adams hired her as his chief of staff, but their relationship soured after a younger employee arrived in the office.
That second employee, Ashlee Wright, later accused Adams of sexual harassment. A county investigation found that some of his comments and text messages to her were inappropriate, and he was ordered to receive anti-harassment training.
But Adams and his wife, Jacqueline Adams, insisted that Wright lied. She has since sued the couple claiming they had slandered her and filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Now Gregory Adams faces a new lawsuit from Mangham. Adams had defeated her ex-husband, attorney Randal Mangham, in a November 2016 runoff to win his seat on the county commission.
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Gina Mangham said she faced age and gender discrimination during the four months she worked for Adams.
He hired Mangham and Wright about a month after the elections. Things changed in January after Wright received a promotion from executive assistant to district coordinator, the lawsuit said.
Mangham said her duties began to change and Adams and Wright excluded her from meetings. The suit alleges that Wright enjoyed preferential treatment.
“Millennials catch on quicker,” Mangham said Jacqueline Adams told her during a staff meeting. Adams’ wife was a fixture in the office and often referred to herself as an unpaid employee, she said.
The county’s human resources department didn’t properly investigate her complaints, Mangham alleges.
Mangham was terminated for insubordination in April 2017. She said Adams had approached her a week prior and accused her of filing a human resources complaint against him.
Mangham’s cased was filed in U.S. District Court last week. Gregory Adams is listed as a defendant, as well as the entire DeKalb County Commission.
County officials refused to comment on the case, citing a standing policy against speaking on pending litigation. Mangham’s attorney, Sheri Bagheri, also declined an interview on Tuesday.
Efforts to reach Gregory Adams or his attorney, former Gov. Roy Barnes, were not successful.
Robert James, Wright’s attorney, said he knew that Mangham was planning a lawsuit but had not reviewed her claims in detail. Her cases against Adams are pending.
