POLK COUNTY, Iowa — One of the leaders of the largest county in Iowa is taking the unusual step of suing his own government for libel and extortion.
Polk County Supervisor Matt McCoy has filed legal documents to intervene in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the county's former human resources director, Jim Nahas, against the county and McCoy's four fellow supervisors.
A statement sent to media on Wednesday from McCoy says he was "not welcomed warmly" by some of his colleagues after he unseated a long-term incumbent in 2018.
"It became widely known immediately, that homophobic slurs were used when discussing me and comments were made by some that they would rather hit me in the face than work with me," the statement says.
McCoy denies allegations that he made a violent and vulgar remark about a female county employee that she overheard last year and says he has been addressing complaints of "hostile and toxic work environment" within the office of the Board of Supervisors.
"What has followed this past year has been a troubling series of decisions that involved the termination of Jim Nahas, and an 'investigation process' that was poorly executed in every possible way," McCoy's statement says. "There has been no due process and efforts to extort and libel me have been the daily order of business at Polk County. There was a serious effort to convince witnesses to change their statements to state that I did in fact make those comments, and then ultimately remove me from office.
He says Nahas and another witness do not recall him making such a remark and that they were pressured for political reasons to implicate him in wrongdoing.
A spokesman for the Board of Supervisors told Local 5 they cannot comment on pending litigation at this time.
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