Pauline Higgins's Metro Defamation Lawsuit Settled Today, Finally

Two years ago to the day, attorney Pauline Higgins was fired from Metro’s legal department. Metro, under Frank Wilson, publicly gave reasons for her dismissal: Higgins was a bad boss, hired her friends and used company resources to plan a golf tournament, the agency said. Higgins sued for wrongful termination and defamation.

Today, “the new Metro” has apologized for the old, something it’s doing a lot these days to prove it’s no longer evil. In a Metro press release, CEO George Greanias said, “The new
Metro regrets and disapproves of the inaccurate statements made about
Ms. Higgins in the media regarding her departure from METRO.” That, plus a reimbursement of Higgins’s approximate $100,000 in attorneys’ fees, and a settlement was reached.

“All I have ever wanted is for Metro to admit that their actions against
me were wrong,” Higgins said at a press conference she held this
afternoon. “I applaud Metro for doing so.”

Rusty Hardin, Higgins’s attorney, also credited the new Metro for bringing the litigation to a “satisfactory conclusion.”

When
asked what lessons should be learned from the situation, Hardin had a
quick answer: “Don’t hire Frank Wilson to head your Metro.”