The woman at the center of the Wayne County severance scandal is suing the Airport Authority

Turkia Mullin is fighting back.  Today her attorney filed a lawsuit against the Wayne County Airport Authority.

The suit claims the board broke the law when they met in secret to decide to fire Mullin.

This is an Open Meetings Act case…  and this is just the beginning of what could be more legal action to come. 

Mullin’s lawyer tells Action News, she wants nothing more than to get back to the job of leading Metro Airport – and they’re hoping a judge will agree with them.

“She has done nothing wrong at the airport and this motion if passed would expose the WCAA to millions of dollars in potential legal costs,” said Wayne County Airport Authority Board Member Sam Nouhan during a board meeting October 31, 2011.

Turkia Mullin is officially suing the Wayne County Airport Authority, claiming the board violated her rights when they met in a closed session October 31, 2011.  When the board emerged from that private meeting, Mullin was promptly fired.

"You can’t just go behind closed doors and smear someone the way they did here,” said Ray Sterling, who is Mullin’s attorney.  Sterling filed this lawsuit against the Airport Authority Thursday morning.

“You’re a public body. You have a public obligation to do things in accordance with the law,” Sterling told 7 Action News Investigator Heather Catallo.

Mullin’s short tenure as CEO of Metro Airport was marked by controversy after the 7 Action News Investigators exposed the $200,000 severance she received for voluntarily resigning her job as Wayne County’s Economic Development Director.

Sterling says the Airport board refused to explain exactly why they fired Mullin.

“We’re waiting for them to say what she did that was cause.  And they haven’t done so.  As a matter of fact, we even requested her personnel file… There’s nothing in there indicating any cause for her termination whatsoever.  Not one disciplinary report, not one critical comment of any type, so all the evidence right now is she did an excellent job in her stint there,” said Sterling.

The lawsuit also demands the minutes from the closed door meeting.  The board’s attorney says those won’t be turned over because of attorney- client privilege concerns.  Sterling disputes that.

“Just because an attorney talks at a meeting, doesn’t mean that’s everything that happens at that meeting is attorney client privilege.  If they made a decision, as a board, at that meeting, and they deliberated -- that’s not attorney client privilege,” said Sterling.

Sterling says he’ll soon be filing a claim to start arbitration proceedings for an alleged breach of contract.  Mullin’s contract called for her to receive the remainder of her salary – potentially more than $700,000 – if she was fired w/out cause. 

In the meantime, he says Mullin is trying to focus on her family and friends in this difficult time.

“She’s holding up very well, considering, but obviously she’d like to get her reputation back,” said Sterling.

Mullin wants her job back – and with the lawsuit, she’s asking for back pay, court costs, and attorney fees.  At the minimum she’s asking the judge to force the Board to hold a proper meeting to discuss her employment in public.

This is second open meetings act lawsuit that’s been filed recently against the Airport Authority.  Airport officials say they don’t comment on pending litigation.