Lawsuit against Dunsmore dropped
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 21, 2016 1:46 PM
Dr. Michael Dunsmore
A defamation suit has been dropped against Wayne County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Michael Dunsmore from a former employee with the Tyrrell County school system, where he worked previously.
The civil lawsuit filed by Brenda Wynn had alleged that Dunsmore publicly accused her of embezzling more than $3,000. She had been suspended from her job as bookkeeper/health benefits specialist in 2014, allegedly under suspicion of financial improprieties.
Dunsmore, who served as superintendent in that district from 2009-2015, along with the Board of Education, were named in the lawsuit.
The school board was later dropped from the lawsuit.
In January, a motion to dismiss, made by Dunsmore's attorney, was denied in Martin Count Civil Superior Court.
Dunsmore has not commented on the particulars of the case, saying personnel privacy laws prohibited him from discussing details.
Ms. Wynn, who worked for the Tyrrell school district from 1992 until 2014, was under investigation by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, but no charges had been filed.
According to the civil suit, Ms. Wynn claimed that she was forced to resign her position of more than 21 years and was prevented from finding other employment. She sought more than $25,000 compensation and punitive damages.
In March, Dunsmore told the News-Argus the pending suit was unrelated to his departure from Tyrrell County Schools and that both the school board there and in Wayne County were aware of the situation.
He had actually applied twice for the WCPS role, in 2013, the first time former superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor announced his retirement. Shortly after, Taylor rescinded his plans and decided to stay on until the end of 2014.
Dunsmore later interviewed for the WCPS job and was hired in July 2015.