PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The ousted president of Community College of Philadelphia is firing back — in court — saying he was pressured to do business on behalf of the school with allies of its board chair.
In a Common Pleas suit, Donald "Guy" Generals alleged that he was pushed to direct college business to vendors with ties to Harold T. Epps, chair of CCP’s Board of Trustees. When Generals resisted, the suit indicated, Epps retaliated by making "false and misleading accusations" against Generals.
Epps is Senior Advisor for Economic Development at Bellevue Strategies, a government relations firm. Generals, CCP's president for 11 years, was placed on immediate paid leave at a trustees meeting on April 10. His contract was to run until the end of June.
The suit alleges the agenda was circulated less than 24 hours before the meeting, in violation of the Sunshine Act. No reason was given for Generals being placed on leave, according to the suit. The board, in a statement through spokesman Kyle Anderson, called the filing "frivolous” and meritless.
"The Board became concerned that Dr. Generals was not acting in the best interests of the College, and violated the terms of his contract, resulting in the Board’s unanimous decision to place him on Paid Administrative Leave," Anderson said.
Generals, through a spokesperson, declined to be interviewed about the suit.