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McLean County's former communications staffer drops federal lawsuit alleging discrimination

A former spokesperson for McLean County government and its health department has dropped a federal lawsuit he filed against board of health members and the county alleging his 2020 termination was based on discrimination.

Dion McNeal was fired in June 2020 as the county’s communications specialist after he issued a news release linking the trauma of racism and police brutality with public health. The statement came a month after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police.

McNeal later filed a lawsuit accusing county officials of unlawful retaliation and discrimination.

Dion McNeal
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Dion McNeal filed a lawsuit accusing McLean County officials of unlawful retaliation and discrimination.

McNeal sought dismissal of the lawsuit in late January and both sides agreed to a voluntary dismissal in a filing in U.S. District Court for the Central District in Peoria. McNeal declined to comment Wednesday. Bloomington lawyer Carrie Haas also declined to comment on behalf of the McLean County Board.

In his lawsuit, McNeal claimed former health department administrator Jessica McKnight approved a draft of the news release, but asked that he seek input from a staff member versed in behavioral health.

McNeal objected to recommended changes, including removal of references to racism as a public health crisis, and sent out the original draft of the statement. McNeal said disciplinary measures began the next day when multiple job responsibilities were removed by his supervisor.

In a statement filed as part of the lawsuit, former county and health department administrator Camille Rodriguez said McNeal was hired to handle social media and communications for the health department and other county agencies. She claimed the news release was sent without required approval.

McNeal was reminded by McKnight that official media messages “must be congruent with McLean County leadership’s message and/or the message of the county administrator,” Rodriguez said in her statement.

About a week after the controversial release, McNeal issued an eight-page personal statement to the media and his supervisors explaining the initial release and asking that his job duties be restored. He was placed on administrative leave and later fired for violating county personnel policies.

In December 2021, a central argument of McNeal’s complaint was dismissed by Judge Joe Billy McDade, who ruled the former county worker’s news release and his letter explaining his position were not covered under the First Amendment. As a public employee, McNeal’s speech “is only protected by the First Amendment when he is speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern,” said the ruling.

Edith began her career as a reporter with The DeWitt County Observer, a weekly newspaper in Clinton. From 2007 to June 2019, Edith covered crime and legal issues for The Pantagraph, a daily newspaper in Bloomington, Illinois. She previously worked as a correspondent for The Pantagraph covering courts and local government issues in central Illinois.
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