OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — A lawsuit was filed against Ottawa County Administrator John Gibbs, claiming that he discriminated against a job applicant due to his age.
Ryan Kimball filed the lawsuit Tuesday.
49-year-old Kimball was a finalist for a newly created executive aide position to the county administrator. He was passed up for 23-year-old Jordan Epperson.
The lawsuit says Kimball applied for the position in April and underwent two interviews with a panel consisting of Gibbs, former county deputy administrator Patrick Waterman, human resources director Marcie VerBeek and Stephanie Roelofs, Gibbs' secretary.
Kimball received positive comments after both interviews, according to the lawsuit, but Epperson was hired for the position on July 7.
Waterman and VerBeek both said Kimball was more qualified than Epperson, who only met one mandatory criterion—he has a bachelor's degree. According to the lawsuit, Kimball met 11 out of 12 criteria for the position.
This lawsuit comes amid the termination hearing for Ottawa County Health Officer Adeline Hambley. During Tuesday's hearing, Hambley's lawyer questioned Waterman and VerBeek about Epperson's hiring.
Both expressed concerns with the hiring decision.
"There was also a question that was asked about his definition of ethics. And his answer was, 'Ethics depends on who you're working for.' And I thought that was a concerning answer," said Waterman. "And I also asked him if he felt the role of government employees was political and he said, 'Absolutely.' So those were a couple of responses that gave us pause."
"During one of the first sessions, a comment was made, that (Gibbs) would be able to boss Jordan around. Mr. Gibbs made the comment that he preferred Mr. Epperson because he would be able to boss him around," said VerBeek.
Those alleged comments sparked Kimball's lawsuit.
Waterman and VerBeek also said Epperson did not shake hands with any women during his two interviews, which they found concerning.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages for lost wages, emotional distress and attorney's fees.
The full lawsuit can be read below:
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