BLYTHEWOOD – After Mayor Sloan Griffin didn’t appear to be ready to fire any of the Town’s attorneys at Tuesday night’s special called meeting, he did just that two days later.
Griffin sent outside attorney Shannon Burnett of Shannon Burnett Law Firm in Blythewood a letter of termination on Thursday, Dec. 8.
Burnett was working closely with David Black, the Town’s lead attorney on the MPA legal issues.
“Per the motion and approval granted to my office at the Nov. 28, 2023, Town of Blythewood council meeting, I am hereby terminating the attorney client relationship with The Law Office of Shannon Burnett, Inc.,” Griffin wrote.
“Effectively immediately, you will cease all legal proceedings, filings, requests, depositions, and other actions not explicitly named regarding case numbers 2021CP4003205, 2023CP4000492 and case number 2018C4005647, if applicable.”
“Failure to comply with this termination,” Griffin wrote, “may result in a breach of contract and I have been authorized by council to seek any necessary remedies in the event of a lack of cooperation.”
Burnett was hired in November, 2020, as the town attorney to handle legal work on ordinances and other legal issues that cropped up in town hall. In September, 2021, Burnett submitted a letter of resignation, but that resignation was controversial since she submitted it to the town administrator instead of to her boss, the town council. But the resignation never materialized. Burnett was, instead, paid by the Town as an outside attorney and worked closely with Black on MPA issues.
