news-record.com

GREENSBORO - Thirty-nine black police officers sued the city and two former police leaders this afternoon for breach of contract and racial discrimination, according to court documents.

The officers claim former Police Chief David Wray and former Deputy Chief Randall Brady discriminated against them by directing subordinate officers to include their pictures in photo line-ups and pursuing unsubstantiated charges against them because of their race, according to a civil lawsuit filed in Guilford County District Court shortly before 5 p.m. Friday.

The same police officers filed U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission complaints against the city in 2006.

The breach of contract claim stems from a failed attempt to negotiate a monetary settlement of those complaints with City Council. The lawsuit alleges the city violated its own confidentiality agreement by releasing information about the negotiations, which led to council withdrawing a $750,000 settlement offer.

The lawsuit comes before the statute of limitations for filing was due to expire.

"There was a statue of limitations issue," said the officers' attorney Ken Free. "It's time to move forward."

City attorney Terry Wood could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.

Wray's attorney, Ken Keller, declined to comment Friday night because he has not yet seen the lawsuit.

Brady's attorney, Seth Cohen, said his client has "done absolutely nothing wrong."

"He served the city for many, many years," Cohen said. "And this lawsuit, like many others, is frivolous."

Brady won a lawsuit over retirement benefits the city had withheld, and a lawsuit filed against him by another officer has been dismissed, Cohen said.

The officers' lawsuit comes just one week after Wray filed his own lawsuit, claiming the city and City Manager Mitchell Johnson discriminated against him because he is white.