Turkia Mullin, the fired CEO of the Wayne County Airport Authority, who became the subject of an FBI probe, has won her first round in the battle to try and collect $700,000 in severance from the county.
WXYZ reports that an arbitrator ruled in Mullin's favor, saying her contract with the airport authority was valid. The three-year contract said she's was entitled to collect the outstanding money on the contract if she were fired without just cause. She worked about two months on the job in 2011 before she was fired.
Mullin became a focal point of controversy after word surfaced that she had received a $200,000 payout from the county after leaving her job voluntarily as the director of Wayne County's economic development to take the airport job. She was hired at the airport in September and fired the next month.
The $200,000 payout, which she eventually returned, sparked an FBI investigation into county operations that is still ongoing. Some people have already pleaded guilty to bribery charges.
Mullin says she's entitled to the $700,000 in severance because she was fired from the airport job without cause. The board claims her contract was invalid from the get go.
WXZY reported on its website:
Action News has learned that an arbitrator has ruled the contract is indeed valid. That's a win for Mullin.
But the case is far from over. The arbitrator will still have to decide if there was a rush to judgment to fire Mullin, and whether she's entitled to the money that remained on her contract.
