A real case of damages

WE ALMOST THINK that the PHA board should just pay Carl Greene to go away.

Almost. But not quite.

In a head-spinning development, Greene's lawyer filed suit Tuesday against the five-member PHA board. Claiming that the board has effectively terminated his employment without affording him due process, the suit also claims that as a result of the board's actions, Greene has suffered harm to his reputation and humiliation; he wants at least $75,000 in damages.

We need to pause for a breath here, since these words kind of take our breath away.

We're going to need a very deep breath, because the 11-page lawsuit is full of disturbing statements. For example, that the foreclosure proceedings Greene's bank intiatited against him and the IRS tax lien imposed on him have no bearing on PHA. That the sexual-harrsassment claims against Greene cannot be proven, but even if they could, they don't form the basis for termininating him. Those conditions only include misconduct, recklessness, gross negligence . . . that results in injury and damage to PHA.

As claims were settled by PHA's insurers, he continued as PHA's "shrewd and capable leader."

We'll give him this: He is shrewd. For example, the suit says that the sexual-harassment claims cannot be proven. That must be referring to the fact that they are part of settlements that require confidentiality - no one can talk about them.

The suit claims that he is being denied due process because the board is investigating while Greene is unavailable to participate. But Greene can't participate because he informed the board via letter he was taking a leave. He says he is now undergoing "medical diagnosis and treatment."

We aren't lawyers. But what we can react to is what the language of the suit communicates. It says that a public housing chief facing personal foreclosure has no bearing. But it does.

It says if Carl Greene sexually harassed employees, he should still get to keep his job, because such claims - which the suit calls "media driven" - don't result in demonstrable injury and damage to PHA . . . especially since the insurance company wrote the checks. (Except the board discovered that PHA actually wrote at least one check, for $99,000, to supplement one of the claims.)

As the U.S. attorney and FBI investigate, one thing seems certain: PHA has been injured and damaged - and so has the city. *