GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Apr. 9, 2024) – The dismissal of John Gibbs five weeks ago wasn’t to be the final word on this story.
That is what the Byron Center man’s attorney said when his client was relieved of his duties as Ottawa County Administrator on February 29 after disagreements with the county board over several issues, along with allegations of improper conduct towards board members and staffers. A threatened lawsuit came to pass on Monday, as Gibbs filed federal litigation against the county board in general, and board chairman Joe Moss in particular, claiming that the Hudsonville Republican “abandoned rational governance and maliciously published on his own Facebook page a litany of provably false statements about the plaintiff that lack factual support,” and that Moss “knew that the defamatory statements were false.”
In the lawsuit, Gibbs is asking that his dismissal be considered without cause, and that terms in his contract pertaining to such a removal be upheld, including a 90-day notice, nine months pay, and benefits. Gibbs had been the chief operating officer for Ottawa County since January of 2023, and his contract was slated to run through 2025.
The case has been assigned to Judge Jane Beckering at the US District Court in Grand Rapids, with no date scheduled for any hearings on the matter immediately disclosed. Moss and the county board did not make any initial statements upon the filing of the lawsuit.
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