IT employee alleges he was dismissed after reporting footage of mayor without pants in Mooresville town hall: lawsuit

Former IT Employee Sues Over Alleged Retaliation in Mayor Scandal

A former IT worker from North Carolina alleges he was terminated as retaliation for reporting disturbing after-hours surveillance footage of the city’s mayor, who is accused of going on a date while not wearing pants inside City Hall. This claim is part of a lawsuit filed recently.

Jeffrey Noble contends he was unjustly fired from his engineering position in Mooresville, located about 44 miles north of Charlotte, in October 2024, following the emergence of a compromising video featuring Mayor Chris Carney. The lawsuit details the video showing the mayor roaming around City Hall naked with a woman for nearly five hours after midnight.

Noble expressed his surprise over the incident, referring to late-night meetings with the mayor as “unethical.” He remarked, “I can meet with the mayor at least a few times without wearing pants, which is a very big problem.” His reaction? He was simply “really shocked.”

A former town official reported discovering the video after noticing that the mayor had accessed government buildings using his ID card outside of regular hours.

After Noble alerted his superiors about the footage, he was placed on administrative leave. The lawsuit states that town officials limited access to the video and accused him of leaking it to the media.

Attorney Chris Purkey stated, “He found a very serious ethical violation, did exactly what he was required to do, and is now being punished for it.” Noble claims in a previous lawsuit that a flawed internal investigation led to his firing.

The lawsuit names various parties, including the town, Mayor Carney, Mayor Tracy Jerome, and Chief Financial Officer Christopher Quinn, accusing them of covering up the security tapes to protect the mayor.

Mayor Carney had taken an extended leave of absence following the video’s release. A spokesperson for Mooresville stated that the town denies any wrongdoing and plans to address the allegations through legal channels, noting they won’t comment further due to ongoing litigation.

Even as the town gears up for re-election in 2024, Carney intends to continue serving his term. In December, he dismissed assertions about the video, stating, “There’s no video of me in the office or anything like that. I mean, it’s just me in the hallway. I can’t imagine anything imminent. Just me going to the bathroom.”