A former Petersburg city manager is suing the city of Martinsville after claiming that her dismissal almost two years ago was based on a flawed investigation and “foreclosed” on her working in the field again.
In the lawsuit filed June 8 in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, Aretha Ferrell-Benavides named the city of Martinsville, Martinsville Councilor Aaron Rawls, and a law firm that has advised the city in the past. She is suing for discrimination and retaliation, violations of free speech and due process, breach of contract, defamation and emotional distress.
Ferrell-Benavides, who currently lives in Petersburg, said her August 2024 firing by the Martinsville City Council was unjustified because the law firm Sands Anderson launched an investigation shortly after she was given a glowing job performance rating by the council…