The U.S. Attorney’s office for Massachusetts has dropped its inquiry into the City of Everett, which had lasted more than a year.
“On June 2, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office opened a preliminary inquiry of the City of Everett in response to multiple allegations of racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment by City employees. As was discussed … we are closing that preliminary inquiry,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annapurna Balakrishna and Anuj Khetarpal wrote.
“The closure of our inquiry has no impact on any claims that have been or may be filed with any state or federal court or administrative agency,” the letter continued in its sole remaining paragraph.
The inquiry compelled city information that the U.S. Attorney’s office under then-U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins alleged Title VII violations related to potential discrimination, harassment, hostile environment, or retaliation by city employees or officials.
In response to the closing of the inquiry, attorneys for Everett wrote in a statement that, “The City demonstrated its commitment to a thorough and timely review by cooperating fully with all aspects of the inquiry and providing information and records responsive to the requests of the Department of Justice.”
“We cooperated fully throughout the course of this inquiry,” Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria wrote in the statement. “I am pleased that the matter has been closed, but I am not surprised by the outcome.”
Attorney Jeffrey Robbins, representing DeMaria and a partner at Saul Ewing in Boston, said “this is a vindication for Mayor DeMaria and his administration.”
Robbins, a contributing columnist for the Herald, added the publisher of the local Everett paper, the Everett Leader Herald, of admitting to “fabricating false articles about” the mayor and “manufacturing notes of non-existent interviews and inventing quotes that were never given.” It all “snookered people” — including the U.S. Attorney’s Office under Rollins.
Rollins resigned in a cloud of controversy this past spring.
A lawsuit with similar discrimination claims filed against the city, Mayor DeMaria and the city’s school district in March remains on the record, with the last update being an amended complaint filed March 28.
In this lawsuit, EPS Superintendent Priya Tahiliani and deputy Kim Tsai allege that their contracts were not renewed because they participated in the federal probe of the school’s “discriminatory practices” and because of “blatant and overt acts of discrimination and retaliation.”
Joe Dwinell contributed to this story.