A federal jury has awarded $94,000 in damages against Northampton County for violating the due process rights of an assistant solicitor who was terminated when Executive John Brown took office. This sum was awarded to former Assistant Solicitor Jill Mancini. She was the first person to be eliminated when Brown took office.

In addition to filing a claim with the Personnel Appeals Board, Mancini sued in federal court. The Personnel Appeals Board tied 2-2, which opened the door for a jury to make the decision.

Brown's public relations consultant, Sahl Communications, issued several news releases declaring that the county, Executive John Brown and Solicitor Vic Scomillio were cleared on allegations that the firing was an act of political retaliation for Mancini's support of John Callahan during the executive race in 2013. But the jury did find that Mancini's constitutional right to due process of law was violated. Because this is a civil rights lawsuit, Mancini will be entitled to recover attorney fees.

She is represented by Attorney Pat Reilly of the Gross McGinley law firm, located in Allentown.

Depositions in this case reveal that Mancini was fired just two days before Christmas, in a telephone call that Scomillio made to her while he was driving.

In response to a Right to Know request, the county produced invoices showing that, last year, it has already paid $49,000 for legal representation by outside counsel. The county's deductible on this claim is $50,000.

In a statement to the media, Mancini said that Brown is "clearly out of his depth and unfit to serve as the head of the county."

Brown declined comment on a pending case.