HAMLET — A public notice was issued Friday regarding an upcoming special meeting of the Hamlet City Council next week.
According to the notice, the council will go into closed session at 6 p.m Tuesday, Jan. 20 for attorney-client privilege to discuss personnel matters pursuant to state statute.
The notice also states that the council “might receive advice” pertaining to two filed civil court cases — one filed by the city manager and the other filed against the city.
In Terziu v. Smith — identified in the notice as Terziu v. Latimer — City Manager John Terziu has filed a civil complaint against residents Sean Patrick Smith and Esco Latimer claiming defamation, slander and libel for “false statements” allegedly made on social media.
There is also a complaint against Latimer — a former candidate for city council — for intentional infliction of emotional distress for several animated videos posted to social media “publicly mocking Terziu, publicly defaming Terziu and publicly threatening Terziu with violence and the intent to kill Terziu.”
One of the videos mentioned is the “Say hello to my little friend” scene from the 1983 film “Scarface,” with Latimer’s face superimposed over actor Al Pacino and Terziu and city councilmembers faces superimposed over those who get shot “presumably killing the figure depicted as Terziu.”
The other specified video, from 2012’s “The Avengers,” had Latimer’s face over the Hulk as he slammed villain Loki, whose face was covered by Terziu’s.
Both of those videos appear to have been removed from Latimer’s Facebook page, however there are others including one with Terziu as the Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz” during the scene where he sang “If I Only Had a Brain.”
Latimer has also posted other similar videos featuring city council members and city employees.
Terziu’s complaint further claims defamation, slander and libel from Dennis Brown (former Hamlet Police chief), Hudson Chitwood (former second in command of HPD) and Officer Hufsa Lodhi) individually, as well as civil conspiracy collectively, in relation to “a false report” of sexual harassment against the city manager.
Terziu is seeking damages in excess of $25,000.
The other case, Latimer v. The City of Hamlet, the plaintiff has filed a petition to compel the disclosure of public records.
Emails and other documents included with Latimer’s filing show he was requesting, among other items:
Latimer claims that the city has “failed to provide the requested records within a reasonable time” and has either failed to respond, provided an incomplete response or constructively denied access by delay.
The statute governing public records gives no specific timeline for fulfilling requests, just that they be provided “as promptly as possible”.
In response, emails presumably from City Clerk Heather Hawks indicate that some of the records, as requested, are not subject to the public records law or do not exist.
