SANTEE -- A former town law billing clerk filed a lawsuit Friday against the town of Santee and its mayor, alleging her constitutional rights were violated.

Luvern Summers of Elloree alleges she was fired after she refused to remove a charge for water service from Santee Mayor Silas Seabrooks' personal water bill.

Summers claims the charge was for water service to rental property owned by the mayor.

The complaint reads that Summers had reported her concerns about what "she perceived to be abuses of authority" and "possible misappropriation of city resources" and that she "reported her concerns about ... Seabrooks to ... the town's administrator and its town council."

The complaint reads that Summers was suspended on May 2003 and that this decision was later rescinded by town council.

In August, Summers was fired.

Summers is seeking actual, compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to attorney's fees and costs.

"All she claims are false statements," Seabrooks said Monday, noting that Summers refused to discontinue water billing on a recently vacated building when asked to do so. "She refused to follow instruction to remove the meter when the tenant moved out."

Seabrooks also said the water bill in question was not in his name but in his son's name, the tenant of the building in question.

Seabrooks and the town will have 20 days to file an answer to the complaint before the question and deposition process begins. It is uncertain who will represent the town in the case.

Summers' lawyer, Amy Gaffney of Columbia, said she hoped a trial would start in a year and expressed her confidence that a jury would be able to hear all the allegations.

"It is in the very beginning stages," Gaffney said.

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