DETROIT — Azzam Elder, the former Wayne County Deputy CEO is suing two county commissioners and the county’s executive Robert Ficano. Elder resigned from his position with the county in November following a controversial severance payment the  county’s chief economic development director Turkia Awada Mullin received after voluntarily leaving the position to pursue another career as the CEO of metro-Detroit airport.

Azzam Elder

“While we have not been officially served with a lawsuit; I am disappointed that Mr. Elder continuously refuses to accept responsibility for his own actions. It’s unfortunate that after his voluntary resignation he has chosen to be dishonest about events during his tenure to better serve himself in this suit. I look forward to the facts coming out. In the meantime, I will continue to move the county forward,” Ficano said.   

According to the lawsuit Ficano broke the law in addition  to asking Elder to comply with him. The suit also notes that Ficano and another top county official created a plan to cover up details about  Mullin’s severance payment. Elder is also claiming that Alan Helmkamp, the Assistant County Executive purposely provided false information on additional severance settlements  involving other county appointees. The lawyer representing Elder in the case is Thomas Warnicke, from the Fieger Law Firm. A memo in the lawsuit shows that Ficano authorized a severance payment for Elder too. That memo reads:  “Should Mr. Elder separate (voluntarily or by death) from the county prior to receiving [a] salary adjustment, he shall receive a minimum separation payment of $300,000…”

Following Elder’s resignation Warnicke demanded that Ficano issue a retraction for defamatory comments he made about his client at the height of the severance scandal. Warnicke also asked the county to preserve Elder’s personal records, such as emails and text messages.

Ficano’s press secretary Brooke Blackwell issued a statement in response indicating the county  never made defamatory comments about Elder who’s currently the main focus of the FBI’s investigation on the case.