PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A wrongful termination suit brought by former Portsmouth Police Chief Angela Greene has been tossed out by a judge.
Earlier this year, a judge in Dinwiddie County sided with the City of Portsmouth and dismissed multiple claims in a suit that demanded Greene be awarded millions of dollars in damages. She claimed former Portsmouth City Manager Lydia Pettis-Patton and former Interim City Manager Lavoris Pace retaliated against her in the aftermath of the destructive demonstration at the Confederate monument in June 2020.
At the same time, the judge allowed for three defamation counts to move forward in an amended complaint. against State Sen. Louise Lucas, (D-Portsmouth), Councilwoman Lisa Lucas Burke and Rev. Milton Blount.
Greene filed her initial suit in April 2021, nearly half a year after she was terminated by Pace.
In her suit, she alleged Pace, as well as Pettis Patton, retaliated against her for filing charges against 19 people in connection to the vandalism at the monument.
While those charges were eventually dropped, Pettis Patton contended that Greene should not have been involved in the investigation of the incident at the Confederate monument.
In the suit, Greene contends she was just upholding her oath to enforce Virginia law.
However, the city argued Greene was an at-will employee of the city and that she didn’t show violation of policy by the city.
A judge — appointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia after all Portsmouth judges recused themselves — agreed.
Greene — who is now chief of police in Lexington, Virginia — is continuing her suit against the Lucas’s and Blount.
Greene alleges they made blatantly false factual assertions regarding Greene’s conduct as chief of police. She is asking for $2 million from each.