In a recently filed response, Martinsville City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides disputes the majority of claims in a civil rights lawsuit stemming from City Councilor Aaron Rawls’ ejection from a public meeting.
Ferrell-Benavides’ answer was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Danville. Ferrell-Benavides is a defendant in the case, along with Deputy Reva Keen of the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office. As of Monday, the city manager’s response is the only one that has been filed.
The suit stems from a March 25 incident in which Keen escorted Rawls out of a city council meeting. Rawls claims in the suit that Ferrell-Benavides signaled the deputy to remove him.
At the time, Rawls was talking about his concerns about the timing of pay increases for senior staff. While Rawls’ complaint states that his comments were courteous, the city manager’s response contradicts this.
An exchange between Rawls and Mayor L.C. Jones ended with Rawls’ ejection from the meeting.
While Jones has maintained that he did not signal Keen to remove Rawls, he has said in the days following the incident that the deputy’s actions were consistent with her training.
Martinsville Sheriff Steve Draper has said that no disciplinary action would be taken against the deputy. He has declined to comment on the suit.
Jones, Rawls and the rest of the councilors have also remained largely silent about the suit and have carried on with meetings in the midst of the litigation.
Ferrell-Benavides’ response addresses several claims made in the original complaint, which was filed June 2. This includes the claim that details the manager’s alleged involvement in the incident.
“On information and belief, Keen did not act alone,” Rawls’ complaint says. “Instead, Keen acted pursuant to instructions from Ferrell-Benavides, who can be seen in a video of the March 25 meeting giving Keen non-verbal signals for her to accost Rawls.”
The city manager’s response denies this claim and others having to do with constitutional violations.
“In so doing, Keen and Ferrell-Benavides acting in concert … violated Rawls’ rights as guaranteed by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment,” reads part of the complaint.
