HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — Several Hopewell council members named in the controversial $6.8 million discrimination lawsuit have filed a motion seeking the defense of qualified immunity following months of silence in the case.
In May 2025, Hopewell City Council voted 4-3 to terminate city manager Concetta Manker and city clerk Brittani Williams “without cause.” The firings led to significant controversy, with some city residents and former employees alleging these firings were racially motivated.
Two months later, in July 2025, Manker — who was hired as the first woman and the first Black woman to serve as city manager — filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city of racial discrimination…