Burnette Shutt & McDaniel attorneys represent Oconee County librarian in wrongful termination and discrimination case
Burnette Shutt & McDaniel is representing an Oconee County librarian who was fired after she protested a decision to discontinue an annual Pride Month display.
The case alleges wrongful termination and retaliation for exercising her First Amendment right to free speech. The librarian, former Oconee County Public Library Branch Services Manager Sue Andrus, also says she was discriminated against based on her association with LGBTQ+ people and retaliated against after raising concerns about that discrimination.
“In light of how this library treated professional librarian Sue Andrus, it is no wonder that South Carolina leads the nation in book banning and censorship,” the lawsuit says.
Attorneys Nekki Shutt and Lydia Robins Hendrix are representing Andrus. The case originally was filed in South Carolina Circuit Court but has been moved to U.S. District Court. You can read the complaint here.
Andrus has 30 years of experience as a librarian, more than 20 of them in Oconee County. The chain of events that led to her firing began in early 2023, when the library executive director cancelled a Pride-themed display of LGBTQ+-themed books that had been an annual tradition. Andrus objected because she believed discontinuing the display would send a message that LGBTQ+ patrons were not welcome at the library.
Andrus had been wearing a rainbow-colored lanyard at work since the previous year, and she crocheted additional lanyards for co-workers who wanted to wear them to protest the cancellation.
In September, the executive director fired Andrus and another librarian who had raised concerns about the display. This came even though as recently as June 2023, Andrus’ performance evaluation listed her as meeting and often exceeding expectations. The firings also came without warning and without adherence to the library’s disciplinary procedures.
Andrus was terminated “in retaliation for engaging in protected activity under Title VII, specifically opposing what she reasonably believed to be unlawful sex discrimination,” the suit says.
Andrus, who was unable to find a comparable job and was forced to retire early, is asking for back pay for lost wages and front pay through her retirement age. She also asks that library employees be protected from future instances of discrimination and retaliation.