Lawyer says city worker fired for refusing to perform temperature checks at city hall

Published 10:21 am Wednesday, June 3, 2020

A lawyer for a city worker who accused an Alabama mayor of slapping her last year has been fired after refusing to perform temperature checks on people at City Hall, her lawyer said.

Lyndsey Cooper was dismissed Monday for insubordination by the coastal town of Spanish Fort, said her attorney, Ed Smith.

Cooper has no medical training and refused to take the temperatures of people entering City Call, Smith told WALA-TV. Such screenings, typically performed with an electronic sensor held near the face, are being used to detect people who might be sick from the new coronavirus.

The firing came eight months after Cooper accused Spanish Fort Mayor Mike McMillan of slapping her at City Hall. A misdemeanor harassment case against the mayor is pending, and Smith said he believes Cooper’s removal was in retaliation for her filing charges against the mayor.

City attorney David Conner the town, located near Mobile, doesn’t comment on personnel matters.