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A former Kansas City employee has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city, another suit alleging mistreatment by city officials just months after a costly verdict in a separate case.
Beth Pauley, a former city performance auditor, alleges in the lawsuit that she faced retaliation and was forced to resign after raising concerns about potential violations by the City Auditor’s Office.
Pauley “was stripped of duties and reprimanded by her employer in retaliation for complaining about violating auditing principles, city ordinances, the City Code of Ethics, and the Missouri Human Rights Act,” according to the lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court in October.
The core of Pauley’s lawsuit centers on the interim city auditor, an apparent reference to Marc Shaw, who was appointed by Mayor Quinton Lucas earlier this year after the retirement of longtime Auditor Doug Jones.
The suit alleges that Shaw, who does not have prior audit experience, did not follow proper auditing protocols on multiple occasions.
Kansas City, in a response filed this week, broadly denied Pauley’s allegations. City spokesperson Jackson Overstreet declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the pending litigation.
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