Wednesday, February 11, 2004
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Wednesday, February 11, 2004 |
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Rapson to contest dismissal of her equal pay suit against DAPC By JOHN MUNFORD Kristi Rapson, the former director of the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater, says she will fight the potential dismissal of her federal equal pay lawsuit against the Development Authority of Peachtree City. Rapson said her attorney will file an objection to the report issued last week by a U.S. Magistrate which recommends the suit be dropped in favor of the authority, which until recently operated both the amphitheater and tennis center. In Rapson’s suit, she claimed she was unfairly paid because former tennis center director Virgil Christian earned more than she did. A magistrate judge reviewing the case, however, determined the jobs are not equal because the tennis center is open to the public 364 days a year whereas the amphitheater is open to the public for roughly one month a year for various concerts and events. Christian also managed a much larger staff at the tennis center than Rapson did at the amphitheater, the magistrate noted. The magistrate’s recommendation that the suit be dismissed in favor of the authority could be adopted by the sitting judge on the case after arguments from Rapson’s attorneys are considered. Including attorneys fees and expenses, the DAPC has spent over $112,000 to defend itself against the allegations, according to authority attorney Mark Oldenburg. An Atlanta law firm has been handling the case. Robert Brooks, the most recent chairman of the Development Authority of Peachtree City, said last week that he felt the magistrate’s report vindicates the authority’s position. When Rapson resigned in October 2001, the authority had just given her a pay raise that pushed her estimated compensation to $83,896 a year. “We always had confidence that we would be vindicated,” Brooks said. Brooks recently resigned from the authority, citing the near resolution of this lawsuit as one of the major reasons. Rapson said there were inaccuracies in the magistrate’s report which will be addressed by her attorney in an objection that will be filed with the court. “Historically, standing up against discrimination has been extremely difficult,” Rapson said. “I was well aware going into this lawsuit that I would be fighting an uphill battle. Of course, I would have preferred for the magistrate’s recommendation to have been in my favor, but this is simply step one in the legal process and we still have a long way to go.” DAPC ran both the amphitheater and tennis center until early this year when those duties were taken over by a newly formed tourism association.
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