Three fired MCC employees settle suits

Three fired Mesalands Community College employees who sued the college’s board of trustees have settled their cases.

District Judge Timothy Rose on Oct. 9 granted unopposed motions from the attorney of former MCC employees Rose Brito, Natalie Gillard and Donna Garcia to dismiss their lawsuits with prejudice, which means they cannot be refiled.

The motions for each stated that “all disputed raised by the Plaintiff against the Defendant have been settled the the satisfaction of all parties.”

Daniel Apodaca, one of the attorneys for the three former Mesalands employees, confirmed that settlements were reached.

“Given a confidentiality provision, I am unable to comment any further on the settlement other than that my clients have resolved their disputes and are happy to be moving forward,” Apodaca wrote in an email to the Quay County Sun.

Josh McVey, Mesalands’ vice president of student affairs, declined to comment on behalf of the college.

During a September meeting of the board of trustees, director of business office services Rachelle Arias, responding to a question from Chairman Richard Primrose, said a $17,000 item on an expense report was a settlement with Brito, a former administrative assistant to Gillard, the former vice president of academic affairs.

Brito stated in her lawsuit that she worked for the college from January 2018 until her termination in May 2022.

Stating she was “humiliated and subjected a hostile work environment,” Brito alleged sex discrimination, age discrimination, retaliation, racial discrimination and failure of due process.

Brito, Gillard and Donna Garcia, former professor of sociology and social work, each sued the college after they were fired in May 2022 during the tenure of former Mesalands president Gregory Busch.

Mesalands President Allen Moss said during the September meeting that the settlements soon would be finalized and reimbursed by the college’s insurer.

Gillard, who worked at the college from 1994 to May 2022, stated in lawsuit filed last year she was terminated from her position and was “humiliated and subjected to a hostile work environment.”

Garcia said she worked at the college from January 2009 until her termination on May 31, 2022.

She stated she was “humiliated and subjected a hostile work environment” and alleged sex discrimination, age discrimination, retaliation, racial discrimination and failure of due process.

Earlier this summer, Mesalands agreed to a settlement with another employee fired by Busch, athletic director Milan Rasic, for $80,000.

Mesalands also agreed to provide a neutral letter of reference containing Rasic’s date of employment. Neither party admitted liability in the case and paid each other’s attorney fees.

Busch resigned in March 2023 after he was accused of ignoring warnings of Mesalands’ declining financial condition. He also was accused of threatening to fire employees if they revealed the state had placed the college under fiscal oversight.

Busch and his wife, Workforce Development director Mary Beth Busch, left Tucumcari shortly after the executive team, staff senate and faculty senate issued no-confidence votes against him in February 2023.