Former Cheverly Deputy Town Administrator Sues for Retaliation
News related to:Town of Cheverly · 2 min read
Farana-Jahan Abdul, who served as the deputy town administrator for the Town of Cheverly, Maryland, has filed a lawsuit against the town, alleging retaliation for her reports of workplace harassment. The lawsuit, filed in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland, on August 22, 2025, claims that she was terminated three days after making her complaints.
Abdul, who joined the Town of Cheverly in April 2025 after a 20-year career with the Prince George's County Police Department, retired as a sergeant. Her role as deputy town administrator included managing human resources. According to the complaint, in July 2025, her annual salary was increased by approximately 20%, and she was praised by Town staff and the Mayor and Council for her performance.
On July 25, 2025, Abdul attended a female employee's annual performance evaluation. During the evaluation, a senior Town official made inappropriate comments, including saying, "you know I love you," and "I love you like a sister." The official also invited the employee out for drinks and to the gym, shared her phone's location, and asked to babysit his daughter. The employee later reported this behavior to Abdul, who then took the matter to senior Town police officials and a Town Council member.
On July 29, 2025, Abdul reported the incident to a Town Council member and an attorney for the Town. The complaint suggests that Abdul was that employee. Over the following weeks, planned training for Abdul was cancelled, her duties were reassigned, and she lost access to shared files, most Town emails, and her administrative rights in the payroll system.
On August 19, 2025, Abdul sent a letter to Town officials, stating that the Town had no workplace harassment reporting system or training materials and requesting that human resources matters be investigated without interference or retaliation. The Mayor and Council met in closed session the next day. The Town terminated Abdul's employment on August 22, 2025, citing "insensitive and unprofessional remarks" and "dishonesty" without providing specific details.
In a position statement submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on March 10, 2026, the Town acknowledged that the official had invited employees out for drinks and to the gym, shared their phone locations, and asked to babysit their children. The Town also stated that the termination was "resulting from" an investigation of the allegations Abdul had reported, despite the termination letter not mentioning the reports.
The Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who oppose practices the Act forbids, including harassment based on sex. The Act defines harassment to include unwelcome and offensive conduct that need not be severe or pervasive. Abdul, who was unemployed from August 22, 2025, to November 14, 2025, and has since worked in a state government position with a salary less than half of her former salary, is seeking more than $75,000 in back pay, front pay, and compensatory damages, along with attorney's fees and removal of the termination letter from her personnel file.
The case, Farana-Jahan Abdul v. Town of Cheverly, Maryland (Case No. C-16-CV-26-006164), is being handled by Justly Prudent, a general civil litigation and business law firm.