The City of Reidsville has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit brought forth by a disgruntled former employee with a settlement that includes a payout, a purge of a personnel file, and a reversion of a termination, among other things.
BACKGROUND
The suit, filed on December 4, 2025 by former Assistant Police Chief Jermain Snell, named the City of Reidsville, Mayor Vickie Nail, Police Chief Matthew Lynn, City Attorney Duann Davis, and Police Officer Patrick Swanson.
Snell, who was terminated in September 2025, was the center of a litany of issues – particularly in the last 60 days of his employment – and had documented problems with insubordination and professionalism go back more than two years.
Snell brought attorneys to a council meeting to threaten legal action after his own threats for months in a quest to get his job back, but shortly after his termination, City Attorney DuAnn Davis advised the city council that an attorney with GIRMA, the city’s insurer, had ‘strongly advised’ the city not to move forward with any action relating to the ongoing issue with Snell. You can read a full timeline on his employment history here.
LAWSUIT
- “In addition to the termination, Snell has suffered ongoing reputational harm due to unauthorized public disclosures of confidential settlement information by City personnel. Specifically, Facebook and social media posts containing details concerning confidential settlement terms have been disseminated, further disparaging Snell and causing defamatory harm.”
- “These unauthorized disclosures have had a direct negative effect on Snell’s family, including his young child, who has been exposed to small-town politics and weaponized gossip regarding his father’s employment situation.”
- “The combination of the wrongful termination, the biased hearing process, the confidentiality breaches, and the ongoing reputational harm have caused Snell severe emotional distress, anxiety, and injury to his career prospects. Snell has since sought employment opportunities elsewhere, including with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and has had to explain the circumstances of his termination to prospective employers.”
- Snell “received a right-to-sue letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), confirming that his claims present issues of potential discrimination and retaliation cognizable under federal law.”
- Snell has lost wages since he was placed on unpaid leave in August and terminated in September, as well as health insurance, retirement contributions, and other employment benefits.
- The wrongful termination and ongoing reputational harm have substantially impaired Snell’s ability to secure comparable law enforcement employment, resulting in permanent diminution of earning capacity.
- Snell has incurred and will continue to incur expenses for medical and psychological treatment related to the emotional distress and mental anguish caused by Defendants’ conduct.
- Snell has suffered additional consequential damages, including costs associated with seeking new employment, relocation expenses, and loss of career advancement opportunities.
- The City and others made ‘stigmatizing false statements” regarding Snell’s professional conduct, character, and fitness by characterizing him as having violated policies, referring his actions to the GBI, disseminating unauthorized public disclosures of confidential settlement information, and permitting and condoning social media posts damaging his professional reputation and affecting his family.
- Snell also claims he was not given notice of the allegations against him, he wasn’t given an opportunity to respond to those allegations, he was not given a hearing before an unbiased hearing officer, and denied his right to a neutral
- These claims were made despite the fact that Snell had a pre-termination hearing prior to his termination, following a lengthy investigation by an outside investigator, and before a hearing officer who was selected by Snell himself. Snell was present for the hearing.
MONDAY’S MEETING
Following an executive session Monday evening during the regular council meeting, the meeting was turned over to Mayor Pro Tem Donald Prestage who called for a motion on the matter of a settlement with Snell. Specifically, a motion was made to sign the settlement agreement with GIRMA on behalf of the city and the individual defendants named in Snell’s suit. Councilman Dan Bennett asked for a roll call vote to identify each council member’s vote individually. Council members Blackshear, Duckworth, and Williams voted YES. Councilman Dan Bennett voted NO.
Mayor Nail stated that the settlement was paid by the city insurance company and not from the coffers of the city. Notably, the insurance company that paid the claim is the same insurance company that threatened the city with termination of the city policy if Jermaine Snell was hired back.
SETTLEMENT
A copy of the Settlement Agreement obtained Tuesday by TheGeorgiaVirtue outlines the terms.
Specifically, the terms of the settlement make clear that the defendants deny all wrongdoing and that the settlement is a compromise, not an admission of liability.
Additionally, the City:
- agreed to reclassify Snell’s separation from employment from involuntary termination to a voluntary resignation effective September 2, 2025.
- agreed to notify Georgia POST of the change and place a pre-signed short resignation letter in his personnel file.
- agreed to provide a neutral employment reference, including only position, dates of employment, and salary
- agreed to purge Snell’s personnel file of any and all records otherwise relating to his personnel file in accordance with OCGA 45-1-5.
- agreed to pay $165,000, with $98,054 going to Snell and $66,946 going directly to his attorneys, Shawn McCullers & Pierre L. Hill Law Group, for attorney’s fees and litigation expenses.
Snell agreed to:
- a broad waiver and release of claims against the City and the named defendants,
- agrees to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled, and the dismissal paperwork is attached as Exhibit A.
- a confidentiality provision and a non-disclosure provision, requiring Snell to attest that he had not disclosed any information about the agreement to anyone except immediate family, legal or tax advisors, or as otherwise required by law.
- agreed not to disclose any terms of the agreement and if asked publicly about the lawsuit, he may only state that “the matter has been resolved.”
- a clause that he will not seek re-employment with the City of Reidsville.
For both the City and Snell, there is a non-disparagement clause which prevents either side from knowingly making false or disparaging statements about the other.
