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Former West Jordan City Attorney Jeff Robinson plans to sue his ex-employer on claims that he was targeted and removed from office through a "conspiracy" of retaliation hatched and executed by Mayor Kim Rolfe, Councilman Jeff Haaga and Justice Court Judge Ronald Kunz.
A notice of claim filed with the city Friday, but not publicly released until Tuesday, asserts a battery of legal claims, from wrongful termination to false imprisonment, defamation, privacy violation, conspiracy and infliction of emotional distress.
Robinson was with the city for seven years until his unexplained suspension in April, when he was, at Rolfe's direction, escorted out of his office by Police Chief Doug Diamond. He resigned in June.
In his notice of claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — he said he had attempted for five months to reach a settlement without resorting to litigation. But he said the city and its council have now forced his hand, having "refused to pay Robinson any severance."
The City Council had been scheduled to vote on a proposed $103,000 settlement for Robinson on Sept. 10 but abruptly and without explanation pulled it from the agenda.
Two weeks later, Tracy Cowdell, an attorney representing the city, wrote in an email to Robinson: "At this point, West Jordan City will not be approving the proposed settlement agreement. … The council is aware of the fact that this matter may now escalate to litigation."
Cowdell went on to point out that Robinson never was fired from his job, continued to receive his full salary and benefits while he was on administrative leave, and refused to return to work when he was invited back in June. Furthermore, the attorney said, Robinson has since been appointed to a comparable position elsewhere.
"Your injuries are not readily apparent to me," Cowdell wrote. "Please understand that the city will vigorously defend itself against all potential claims should this matter proceed to litigation, including exploring potential counterclaims and failure to perform the statutory duties of your office, which may become a subject of discovery."
Robinson pointed out in his notice that others "forced to resign" had received severance pay, an apparent reference to former City Manager Rick Davis, who received a package worth about $200,000 following his unexplained resignation in August 2014.
Robinson asserts that Rolfe, Haaga and Kunz "conspired" to mount a "campaign" to drive Robinson, Davis and former assistant city attorney Stuart Williams from office, to ruin their reputations by manipulating media coverage and damage them economically. All of this, according to Robinson, was in retaliation against city officials who investigated Kunz, tried to remove him from the bench and sought criminal charges against him.
Kunz was charged with misdemeanor criminal misconduct in 2012 for releasing private criminal-history records, but was acquitted after the evidence against him was ruled to have been illegally obtained. The city also ended up paying $117,000 to settle litigation brought by Kunz and justice court clerk supervisor Shelley Thomas.
An attorney representing Kunz said the judge could not comment on the litigation.
Robinson, Rolfe and Haaga did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.