Lawsuit alleges work by Mayor Greenberg's wife violated city's code of ethics

A new lawsuit alleges work by Mayor Craig Greenberg's wife in Metro Government violates the city's code of ethics.The whistleblower lawsuit was filed by Louisville attorney Thomas Clay.It alleges that Sam Ricketts, a former employee in the mayor's office, was fired because she complained that Rachel Greenberg's active role in city hall violated the nepotism clause of the city's code of ethics.Read the city's code of ethics nepotism clause here.A spokesperson for the mayor's office issued a statement calling Ricketts "a disgruntled former employee held over from the prior administration who was seemingly unable to work well with our new administration."According to the statement, Ricketts' employment ended when the Greenberg administration decided they no longer needed a graphics specialist.The full statement from the mayor's officer reads:"The allegations in this case have no legal merit. Sam Ricketts is a disgruntled former employee held over from the prior administration who was seemingly unable to work well with our new administration. Sam Ricketts was not terminated. Her position was eliminated after it was determined Metro Government did not need a full-time graphic specialist in the mayor’s office. "Shortly thereafter, Sam Ricketts applied for and was offered another position that better matched her career goals at the same salary. Sam Ricketts never responded to the offer, instead choosing to seek out an undeserved and lucrative payout through this unfounded legal battle."An ethics complaint was filed against Greenberg last year, claiming that he gave special benefits to interns in the Summer Works Program, as well as claiming that Rachel benefitted from nepotism.The claims aimed at Rachel say that she was working out of his officer rather than hiring a qualified employee for certain positions.Greenberg said his wife's duties have been strictly volunteer-based, and the complaint was based on a news report, not a first-hand account.He filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in December.