Turkia Mullin has filed a lawsuit against Wayne County, saying she's entitled to lifetime health insurance and another severance.
Mullin is the county's former economic development czarina who last fall returned a $200,000 severance she received when she took the job running Detroit Metro Airport. After media reports, her severance became a huge public issue and, along with corruption charges against other county officials, has led to calls for the resignation of county Executive Robert Ficano.
In her suit, Mullin says Ficano promised her a lump-sum payout and pension enhancements when she deferred taking an early retirement buyout offer in 2011. Ficano made the offer to about 15 top aides last year, but rescinded the deal amid the fallout over the payment Mullin received when she left the county to become CEO of Metro Airport.
A judge in March ruled that Ficano couldn't void the agreements that paid aides two weeks salary for every year of service. That would be about $60,000 for Mullin.
The suit, according to the Detroit News, reveals a little-known perk for top Ficano appointees and county commissioners: free lifetime health benefits after eight years. The benefit has been in place since the 1990s, but Ficano ended it for new appointees amid the fallout from the Mullin severance flap.
