Plainfield Park District to Pay $20K to Former Employee

The Plainfield Park District is paying out $20,000 to a former employee fired last summer after a shakeup on the board resulted in staffing changes.

According to information obtained via Freedom of Information Act by park district resident Vicky Polito, the district inked the settlement on June 30.

In the document, the park district denies any wrongdoing in the discrimination claim filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by former Public Information Coordinator Marianne Ryan.

Ryan was terminated at on June 28, 2013, one month after the park district hired Director of Communications Doug Booth on an interim basis. Park officials said Ryan’s job had been eliminated.

Plainfield Park District Fires Public Information Coordinator

Ryan’s filing claimed the park district violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

Ryan, who had worked for the park district since 2005, received a salary of about $52,000 per year, compared with the $66,000 initially paid to Booth. Since then, Booth has been hired to the position on a permanent basis and given a new salary of $82,000.

Booth did not respond to a message from Patch regarding the settlement on Thursday.

In the documents, the park district “denies all of the allegations directed against employer in any and all written and oral demands” and “any and all allegations or implications that employer has in any way violated any law, ordinance or statute, including but not limited to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.”

Under the deal, the park district’s insurer was to pay out a total of $20,000 to Ryan and her attorneys within 30 days.

The settlement states that the park district “desires to resolve any and all actual or potential issues regarding employee’s hiring, employment and separation from employer without having to incur the expenses and inconvenience of litigation and instead desires to ‘buy its peace.’”

Under the agreement, Ryan gets $5,000 as a payroll payment to satisfy any claims to back pay, plus $12,000 to Ryan for “all claims of non-economic, non-punitive personal injuries, mental and emotional distress and other personal injuries.” Another $3,000 will be paid out to Ryan’s attorneys.

The pact isn’t the first time in recent months that the park district has settled with a former employee.

In January, the park district was found to be in violation of Illinois labor law after failing to meet a deadline to respond to a complaint by former maintenance staffer Joel Schumaker.

Plainfield Park District Retaliated Against Pro-Union Employee: Labor Board

Schumaker, who was terminated in November 2013, accused the park district of retaliating against him for talking to co-workers about unionizing.

Denying any wrongdoing in that case as well, the park district in March agreed to pay Schumaker back wages of $8,960.

Plainfield Park District Agrees to Pay Former Employee $8,960