PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Another former city employee is suing the City of Portsmouth, claiming that her boss at the time, now-former City Manager Tonya Chapman, tried to bribe her to resign.
Sunshine Swinson was hired as deputy city manager in late 2022 but was fired less than a month later. In the lawsuit, she claimed it was because she refused to participate in an alleged cover-up attempt at Chapman's request.
Swinson filed the lawsuit in Portsmouth Circuit Court on Feb. 1, exactly two months after her termination.
An investigation into $80,000 worth of federally funded gift cards previously thought to be missing is at the center of the lawsuit, including Chapman's claims that the money may have been mismanaged by her predecessor.
In the filing, Swinson said Chapman asked her to resign on Nov. 30 and sign a letter stating she gave Chapman misinformation about the cards. She also claimed Chapman asked her to lie to city leaders and investigators about an expected probe into the matter.
Swinson then accused Chapman of bribing her with "various promises and benefits if she resigned, including a payment of $37,500 and two additional weeks of pay. She said she refused and was fired the next day without cause.
In a statement to 13News Now, Chapman strongly denied the allegations.
"Ms. Swinson's allegations against me are emphatically false," she wrote. "Her dismissal had absolutely nothing to do with gift cards."
Chapman is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.
A newly-elected majority on Portsmouth City Council voted to fire Chapman in January, after months on the job.
However, Swinson claims the city owes her money, citing a contract signed with the former city manager. According to Swinson, her contract came with a $150,000 salary and six months severance pay, if terminated.
But she claims the city has refused to pay and has not provided a reason for not honoring the agreement.
In the lawsuit, Swinson is asking for more than $1 million.
13News Now reached out to the City and did not hear back.