A dispute over allegations of workplace misconduct has led to a federal lawsuit in which a former employee claims she was wrongfully terminated by her public employer following accusations from two coworkers. The legal action alleges that false statements and procedural failures resulted in significant harm to her career and reputation.
The complaint was filed by Gwendolyn S. Davis in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on April 1, 2026, naming the Portsmouth City School Board, April Justin, and Lawrence Wright as defendants.
According to the filing, Davis served as the Minority / Women Business Enterprise Administrator for Portsmouth Public Schools from 2017 until her dismissal on or about November 6, 2025. She contends that throughout her tenure she met or exceeded job expectations and never received negative performance evaluations. The lawsuit outlines a series of events beginning in May 2024 when both Justin and Wright joined the MWBE Program as specialists reporting directly to Davis.
The complaint describes strained relationships between Davis and both subordinates. It states that Wright’s job performance was unsatisfactory and that he “frequently was insubordinate and disrespectful” toward Davis. After an incident in January 2025 where Wright resigned but later revoked his resignation with assistance from Human Resources, Davis recommended non-renewal of his contract due to performance issues. However, Wright’s contract was unexpectedly renewed by the school system.
Similarly, Justin is described as having disagreements with Davis regarding work hours, overtime compensation eligibility, and supervisory authority. The complaint alleges that Justin believed she had rights inconsistent with her salaried position classification and resented directives from Davis intended to meet program needs.
On May 29, 2025, Justin submitted an email to Portsmouth Public Schools containing what Davis characterizes as “false, malicious, derogatory, and defamatory statements,” including claims of intimidation tactics by Davis such as yelling at employees or making them feel uncomfortable at work. These accusations triggered an internal investigation conducted by Sherry Ross, Director of Human Resources.
During this investigation—and again at a subsequent pre-termination hearing—both Justin and Wright made further statements accusing Davis of creating a hostile environment through actions such as harassment or retaliation. The complaint asserts that none of these allegations were supported by evidence sufficient to demonstrate violations of the district’s Abusive Working Environment Policy or other cited policies.
Davis maintains that at no point did any employee provide documentation from licensed health professionals indicating physical or psychological harm caused by her conduct—a requirement under the district’s policy definitions for substantiating abusive conduct claims.
Despite this lack of evidence according to the plaintiff’s account, Chief Human Resources Officer Geree Jackson issued a recommendation for termination on July 16, 2025. This letter cited alleged harassment and creation of an intimidating environment but did not reference specific policy violations or present factual findings supporting such conclusions under established procedures.
A pre-termination hearing took place on September 23, 2025 before a hearing officer selected by Portsmouth Public Schools. At this hearing—as documented in transcripts referenced throughout the complaint—Justin and Wright reiterated their earlier accusations against Davis. The school system asserted multiple policy violations as grounds for dismissal; however, according to Davis’s account none were previously disclosed to her nor demonstrated during proceedings.
On October 16, 2025 the hearing officer upheld Davis’s dismissal based solely on violation of the Abusive Working Environment Policy but did not make findings sufficient to support this conclusion under policy standards outlined in district documents. Subsequent appeals for review or additional hearings before the full School Board were denied or left unanswered according to court filings.
Davis’s lawsuit includes seven counts: defamation against both Justin and Wright; tortious interference with contractual relations against both individuals; breach of contract against the Portsmouth City School Board; deprivation of property interest without due process; and deprivation of liberty interest without due process under Section 1983 related to Fourteenth Amendment protections.
For each count involving defamation or tortious interference (Counts I-IV), Davis seeks $1 million each in compensatory damages plus $1 million each in punitive damages from both individual defendants along with costs and other relief deemed appropriate by the court. For breach of contract (Count V), she requests compensatory damages determined at trial plus costs. For constitutional claims (Counts VI-VII), she seeks declaratory relief stating her rights were violated; injunctive relief requiring changes in school board procedures; $1 million in compensatory damages; attorney fees; costs; interest; and any other just remedies.
The case is identified as Case No. 2:26-cv-00329. Gwendolyn S. Davis is represented by attorney Raymond L. Hogge Jr., whose contact information is listed in court records.
Source: 226cv00329_Davis_v_The_Portsmouth_City_School_Board_Complaint_Eastern_District_Virginia.pdf
