By Joseph D. Bryant
al.com
TARRANT CITY, Ala. — A confidential ‘goodbye forever’ agreement and a payout totaling $110,000 ended a year-long federal harassment lawsuit against an Alabama town’s police chief and a female officer who accused him of harassment.
Tarrant city leaders in October approved the confidential agreement between police chief Wendell Major and former officer Chante Crosby to end the lawsuit where Major was accused of various workplace violations including bullying and inappropriate communications.
AL.com recently obtained and reviewed details of the confidential settlement agreement.
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In the lawsuit, police officer Chante Crosby and Tarrant City Magistrate Tanilya Jackson originally filed the lawsuit in Oct. 2024 . Jackson later dropped her claims while Crosby remained in the case.
Although the case is settled, Major and the city continue to deny any wrongdoing and dispute Crosby’s allegations. Also under the terms, Crosby agreed to resign from Tarrant and never return.
“Crosby agrees this is a ‘Goodbye Forever’ agreement and recognizes any employment relationship with Tarrant is permanently and irrevocably severed,” the document states. “Crosby expressly agrees not to reapply for or otherwise seek employment with Tarrant and Tarrant has no obligation, contractual or otherwise, to hire, employ or consider Crosby or employment in the future.”
Crosby accused Major of demoting her in the police department after she noticed inappropriate material on his computer in 2023.
“Crosby expressed her shock and disgust at what Major had on his computer screen, and she left. Soon after that incident, Chief Major demoted Plaintiff from Detective down to Patrol Officer,” according to the complaint in the case.
Major has denied all allegations of misconduct, saying that the allegations against him were politically motivated.
“They contend I’ve done something to them, and nobody has ever offered any proof or evidence of that,” Major told AL.com previously.
The case became another political wedge between then Mayor Wayman Newton and the city council. Newton had cited the case as another reason to fire the chief, while the council at the time unanimously balked at those moves and rallied around the embattled police chief.
Settlement money was divided between Crosby and lawyers from Jon C. Goldfarb of Wiggins, Childs, Pantazis, Fisher & Goldfarb, with Crosby receiving $55,000 and the law firm $55,000.
The city’s municipal insurance company paid the settlement.
The agreement was signed in the final weeks of Newton’s administration before current mayor Tracie Threadford took office. Threadford, at the time, was a council member and mayor pro-tem who supported Major.
However, Major’s support among the newly elected city council is now fractured. The council in November refused to renew his contract.
The split 2-3-1 vote to retain Major was the first contentious vote between the new mayor and members of the newly seated council. Charles Johnson, Bruce Cooper and Valarie McClellan voted no, while Tommy Bryant and Threadford voted to approve. Deborah Matthews abstained.
Nevertheless, Major continues to lead the police department. His attorney, Scott Morro, previously said that the chief still has rights under the Jefferson County Personnel Board and would seek to appeal the decision, along with asking the council to reconsider.
According to a recent memo from the Personnel Board, Major’s job is a classified position and is subject to the personnel board rules and regulations which gives him due process rights.
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