New lawsuit contradicts what Mooresville mayor says happened after hours at town hall
A former Mooresville Township employee has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, its mayor and other officials, alleging that he resigned after pressure to keep a video of the mayor at city hall after being hidden for hours.
READ MORE: As lawsuits loom, Mooresville mayor clarifies he didn’t wear pants at city hall
He is the town’s third former employee to file a lawsuit against the town in as many months, all of whom make similar allegations of retaliation.
Mayor Chris Carney was caught on security camera inside city hall without wearing pants on October 10, 2024. Carney told Channel 9 last month he had done nothing wrong.
The plaintiff in the latest lawsuit, the former IT director for Innovation and Technology, alleges that footage recorded in October 2024 showed Carney at city hall after business hours with a woman who was not authorized to be there, according to the lawsuit.
Carney told Channel 9 that he met with another commissioner and several people and drank some wine the night of the town hall incident. He said he became ill after mixing wine with his anxiety medication and vomited on himself, so he took off his pants.
These details do not match what is said to have happened that night in October 2024 in the new case. The video depicted “uniquely sensitive and politically explosive images for town leadership,” the lawsuit said.
>>Click here to see what the lawsuit claims appear in the video.
There was no independent investigation.
The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff notified city management, they watched the video together and tried to control the narrative.
Plaintiff did not delete or “lose” the evidence and denied misrepresenting the existence or availability of the footage.
The lawsuit states that the plaintiff was forced from his job and threatened to be removed as the legal custodian of the video.
The plaintiff saw evidence removed and removed before it was released by the town of Mooresville.
another case it also alleges that a former IT specialist was fired in retaliation after reporting seeing the mayor walking around the building without pants.
Another previously filed lawsuit involved a former deputy police chief who raised concerns about after-hours activity, according to court documents.
This is an evolving story. double check with wsoctv.com and follow Eyewitness News for updates.
VIDEO: Mooresville mayor speaks out about not wearing pants at city hall as lawsuits loom
