A wrongful termination lawsuit has been filed against the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce. A lawsuit has been submitted to Regional Radio News concerning the firing of Linda Allen as Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. The eight-page lawsuit goes into details on wrongful termination and retaliation for reporting illegal activities and asserting legal rights.
The lawsuit was filed against Krystal Baker as Chairwoman of the GTCC, Mike Mann as Board Member and City of Taylorville Street and Sewer Superintendent, and was filed on March 6th. In the lawsuit, Allen alleges that she reported the improper submission of a Certificate of Liability Insurance listing as a false and valid entity for “Taylorville Main Street DBA Small Town Taylorville.” Since DBA Small Town Taylorville is not registered with the Illinois Department of Revenue, it is therefore presented as such on a Certificate of Liability Insurance.
Allen says in the lawsuit that she raised the issue of legality, given the false statement regarding the insured title, and Small Town Taylorville title was removed. The lawsuit claims that this has happened many times. Allen let Cincinnati Insurance know that this was going on.
According to the lawsuit, on March 4th, Linda Allen attended a Chamber of Commerce Executive Meeting that would host Christian County Board Chairman Bryan Sharp. Only five members of the Board were present and not everyone was there. According to the lawsuit, Mann questioned Allen “angrily,” and as the discussion escalated, Mann fired Linda Allen for “angering the Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry and the real city government” by alerting the city, county, and Cincinnati Insurance that this was going on.
According to Chamber bylaws, the Executive Director is not allowed to be terminated unless a full board is present. Allen says in the lawsuit that when she asked why she was let go, it was a direct result of Allen’s effort to alert everyone via a group email concerning the false certificate of insurance submission. The lawsuit also alleges that Mann called Allen a “real troublemaker and causing problems for the real city government.”
Allen also says in the lawsuit that she was promised by Board Members that she would be “made whole and compensated” regarding losses and damage caused by prior Executive Director Patty Hornbuckle and her charges and conviction of embezzlement. Allen says she worked hard to repair the reputation and to make the Chamber operable again.
Allen is seeking $537,000 for compensation from the termination, $500,000 for emotional suffering, $1,250,000 in punitive damages, court costs, and fees. She is also seeking to change the venue to a different county courthouse for a fair trial.
Regional Radio News reached out to Mike Mann, Krystal Baker, the Chamber of Commerce, and Linda Allen. Baker said respectfully that she, along with the Chamber, couldn’t comment on the situation. Mike Mann did not return our phone calls.
The case is set for review on April 15, 2025.
