One reply from his lawyer was all it took – and the leverage was gone before anyone signed

A fired Georgia city manager learned that a settlement can become binding the moment his lawyer typed five words into an email.

The Court of Appeals of Georgia ruled on May 21, 2026, that Deron King, the former City Manager of East Point, is bound by a settlement his lawyer accepted by email more than a year earlier, even though the parties never signed a formal agreement and later fell out over the wording of the release.

The decision is a cautionary tale for HR leaders and in-house employment counsel. A settlement negotiated by email can become binding the moment a lawyer signals acceptance, well before anyone signs anything.

Here's what happened. East Point's email system was hit by a cyber-attack in September 2021. The City Manager at the time decided not to inform the public. King was appointed City Manager in January 2022. In August 2023, Mayor Deana Holiday-Ingraham went public about the attack and said a private forensic auditing firm would investigate. Days later, Fox 5 News Atlanta reported that taxpayers were calling for King to resign or be terminated after the city purportedly disclosed an audit finding that more than $700,000 had been lost in an email scam and that King had known about it but had not told the council or taxpayers. King was terminated in December 2023.

He sued in August 2024, alleging breach of his employment contract, defamation per se, and a negligent...

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