GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The embattled Gwinnett County commissioner who was publicly reprimanded over the summer at the end of an ethics review for his derogatory Facebook comments about Rep. John Lewis is filing a lawsuit of his own.
According to a letter obtained by 11Alive, Hunter's lawyers claim that public reprimand on June 20, 2017 violated Hunter's constitutional rights under the First Amendment for the "free exercise of political speech" and that they would be pursuing claims against the Gwinnett County Commission, including damages of $5 million.
"The reason for the lawsuit is clear. They have permanently damaged Mr. Hunter’s future employment opportunities,” said Hunter's spokesman Seth Weathers.
The Gwinnett County Commission, however, counters that claim, saying, "Your contention appears to be, in short, a First Amendment claim for retaliation. There is no merit to that contention as there has been no retaliation."
Further, the Gwinnett County Commission argues that the level of governmental response that classifies as retaliation, when it comes to free speech, is at a lower threshold than that of a elected government official.
This is just the latest development in an ongoing saga that has publicly played out since last January, when Hunter's Facebook post calling Lewis a "racist pig" first came to light. Hunter apologized for the post, though reaction was swift and several groups called for his resignation.
PHOTOS: Gwinnett commissioner urged to resign after "racist pig" comment
An ethics violation was filed against him, though he counter-sued the ethics board, claiming it was not legitimate because of how the way they were appointed.
Hunter was ultimately reprimanded for the post by the board.
