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GREENSBORO — The ousted executive director of the financially troubled YWCA Greensboro has sued the association for wrongful discharge, among other claims, and leveled some charges of her own.

Adrienne Y. Witherspoon’s suit, filed Wednesday in Guilford County Superior Court, seeks more than $10,000 in damages.

The suit identifies the defendants as the YWCA, its board of directors, President Judi Rossabi, past President Lottayne Widemon, and former Executive Director Carolyn Flowers. Efforts to reach the defendants Thursday were unsuccessful.

The YWCA’s interim executive director, Jean Pudlo, said she could not talk about the lawsuit but did address efforts to keep the association open.

“We are in good order,” said Pudlo, who has led the YWCA since shortly after Witherspoon’s ouster. “We will move forward.”

Witherspoon’s lawsuit also alleges defamation, civil conspiracy and infliction of emotional distress. It also charges the defendants with misusing state grant money.

The lawsuit says Witherspoon discovered that the association owed the Guilford County Schools nearly $11,000 for transportation for an after-school program the YWCA operated. The money came from a three-year, $500,000 juvenile justice and delinquency prevention grant.

The lawsuit charges that the YWCA told the state that the school system had been paid when “in truth and in fact the funds were used for other purposes.”

The lawsuit did not say how the money was spent or when the incident happened. But it does say that when Witherspoon informed the board she was told to disregard the matter and find money to pay the school system elsewhere.

The lawsuit claims that “the defendants then retaliated (against) her by orchestrating various grounds to terminate Ms. Witherspoon’s employment ... because she refused to go along with the unlawful use of taxpayers money.”

The lawsuit alleges Witherspoon lost her job because she challenged Flowers’ authority to solicit contributions for the annual golf tournament.

After Flowers left the YWCA, she began serving as regional manager of 26 YWCAs in the Southeast.

The lawsuit says Flowers’ actions prevented Witherspoon from properly accounting for the funds.

After Witherspoon informed the board about the matter, the lawsuit says, “Rossabi, Widemon and Flowers embarked on a scheme to undermine Ms. Witherspoon’s effectiveness as executive director and ultimately brought about the termination of her employment.”

Witherspoon served as executive director from November 2007 until Oct. 21, 2008.

When the YWCA’s financial problems became public in November 2008, association leaders said the issues arose in Witherspoon’s administration.

YWCA officials said at the time that the extent of the money woes became apparent immediately after Witherspoon’s departure.

However, in documents filed with her suit, Witherspoon says she informed the association’s executive committee on Dec. 13, 2007, and on Jan. 29, 2008, that “the organization is two weeks from operating in the red.”

Pudlo said Thursday the YWCA has operated for six or seven years with annual deficits ranging from $70,000 to $130,000.

In an interview Thursday, Witherspoon said during her hiring process she asked about the association’s financial status and was told that it was operating in the black.

“I saw no reason not to believe them,” she said. “When I got there it was a very different story.”

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com.