TEXARKANA, Texas - A former city manager of Mount Pleasant, Texas, claims he was fired after disclosing a cancer diagnosis in a federal lawsuit filed this week in Texarkana.
Michael Ahrens alleges he was fired less than a month after he notified the Mount Pleasant city council June 19, 2019, that he would "be receiving extended treatments and/or surgery over the period of the next several months," according to a complaint filed by Tyler, Texas, lawyer William Hommel Jr.
Mount Pleasant City Attorney Kerry Wooten said the city has not yet been served with a copy of the complaint.
The complaint alleges Ahrens was informed a week after making his diagnosis public that the city council intended to hold an executive session to discuss his employment at its July 2, 2019, meeting and that an action item to consider his contract would be addressed after the executive session.
Ahrens, who began working for the city as city manager in January 2009, was fired at the July 2 meeting. Ahrens alleges it was his cancer that led to his termination and that he'd never had any "disciplinary action" prior.
Ahrens claims the city's decision to fire him violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. He is seeking damages for "extreme emotional distress, embarrassment, severe disappointment, indignation, shame, despair, and public humiliation."
Ahrens is seeking actual damages, including lost wages and benefits, compensatory damages and attorney fees. The complaint also mentions injunctive relief and reinstatement, though Mount Pleasant's website shows the city manager position is currently filled.
The case is currently pending before U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas.