A former top deputy at the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the City of Chicago and the department’s leader, alleging she was subject to a “concerted campaign of professional isolation and the systematic stripping of her duties.”
The wrongful termination lawsuit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court by Rosalyn Kimberly (“Kim”) Grigsby, DCASE’s former first deputy, names Kenya Merritt, who has been DCASE’s interim leader since October. Last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he has nominated Merritt to lead the department permanently, pending City Council approval.
In the lawsuit, Grigsby alleges her termination on Feb. 27 was retaliation for formal complaints she filed with the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General and the city’s Department of Human Resources reporting what she saw as a “pattern of misconduct, isolation, and retaliation to which she had been subjected.” The suit alleges the city violated the Illinois Whistleblower Act.
Kristen Cabanban, a spokesperson with the city’s Department of Law, said on Monday the city has not been served with the complaint and “does not comment on pending litigation.”
The lawsuit is the latest in a turbulent era for DCASE, which steers everything from large-scale downtown events such as the Millennium Park summer music and film series to Taste of Chicago and Jazz Fest. The department also distributes more than $1 million annually in individual artist grants....
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