Posted: Oct. 31, 2003

Wilmington -- Today Lynda Maloney and Maria Rendina filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against County Executive Tom Gordon, CAO Sherry Freebery and New Castle County arising from their August 4th constructive discharge allegedly because they wore a wire for the FBI.

They contend they were driven from their jobs because they exercised their First Amendments rights to report breach of the public trust, financial irregularities, improprieties, fraud and corruption. They now publicly reveal for the first time that they both went to the U.S. Attorney, FBI and IRS and reported Gordon and Freebery’s alleged illegal activities.

They additionally have been active participants in the ongoing federal investigation into Gordon and Freebery’s alleged criminal wrongdoing by both wearing a wire on numerous occasions. They also gathered documents and otherwise aided in the federal criminal investigation. They even responded to subpoenas to testify before the federal grand jury. Finally they claim that they testified truthfully before the grand jury despite efforts by the defendants to prevent their giving truthful testimony.

They charge that the defendants immediately retaliated against them for their protected activities and that they were constructively discharged and forced to resign their jobs as executive assistants to Gordon and Freebery to protect their deteriorating health and clear their good names. They also assert state law claims for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress because Freebery allegedly publicly claimed that they both had killed their beloved recently deceased father.

"The time has now arrived to have a jury determine what has been happening in our runaway County government," said Thomas S. Neuberger, of Wilmington, their attorney. "A federal civil case jury can now start the much needed cleanup with an award of unlimited punitive and compensatory damages. If long term skilled government employees and respected Democratic party loyalists (Maloney is the widow of former Wilmington Mayor Tom Maloney) are being treated this way, pity the poor average County employee who has nowhere to turn when he or she witnesses corruption in County government," he added.

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