PORTSMOUTH, Va. — UPDATE: Portsmouth's former city manager, Angel Jones, made changes to her wrongful termination lawsuit against the City of Portsmouth.
According to an e-mail sent to Portsmouth officials that was obtained by 13News Now, Jones moved to non-suit her case, meaning she wouldn't pursue the case as it was filed but could refile at another time.
The case was refiled Tuesday afternoon. Mike Joynes, an attorney for Jones, told 13News Now the move was to clarify the language within her lawsuit.
"We thought it was important to clarify within the body of the complaint some things that we felt may have been ambiguous so that the complaint was clear, unambiguous, and easy to understand exactly what Angel Jones is claiming," Joynes wrote in a statement. "That's why we have taken the steps to change the complaint in minor form to accomplish that."
The original lawsuit was filed in October 2022, months after the Portsmouth City Council voted 4-3 to fire Jones in May 2022.
In the suit, Jones claimed to witness or hear of reports of bribery, "pay to play" atmospheres, and misconduct of several city council members including Vice Mayor De'Andre Barnes, Councilman Mark Whitaker, Councilman Paul Battle, and Councilman Christopher Woodard.
Steve Heretick, one of Jones' attorneys, told 13News Now in October that she was seeking justice for wrongful termination, breach of contract, fraud in the inducement, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
However, he proposed an alternative to compensatory and punitive damages if those Portsmouth City Council members agreed to certain terms.
The lawsuit detailed a plan where "Jones demands the equivalent of 2 years of Jones' pre-termination salary and benefits, together with the immediate resignations of Vice Mayor DeAndre Barnes, Councilman Mark Whitaker, Councilman Paul Battle, and Councilman Christopher Woodard."
This story has been updated with additional information from Angel Jones' attorney, Mike Joynes.