A legal battle waged for more than a year between the Pensacola Humane Society Board of Directors and former interim Executive Director Amanda Moore-Joseph has ended with both sides agreeing to drop any claims of wrongdoing.
"The Humane Society of Pensacola and former Director of Development Amanda Moore-Joseph are pleased to announce that they have reached a mutual confidential resolution to their legal disputes," a memorandum announcing the settlement said.
"The parties appreciate one another's positive contributions to the community and express their solidarity in regard to the pursuit of accountability regarding the use of funds of the Humane Society," it said. "The parties reiterate that neither Ms. Moore-Joseph nor any member of the Humane Society Board misappropriated any funds for their personal use."
The settlement announcement, dated Aug. 23 and signed by Moore-Joseph and Humane Society CEO Blake White, first appeared Friday afternoon on the Humane Society website, but was unreadable. It was later published on the agency's Facebook page.
The Humane Society filed a lawsuit in January of 2023 claiming Moore-Joseph and fellow Humane Society staffers Jessica Gehres, Raina Townson, Jessica Fischer, Melissa Garrett and Alysia Martinez had committed defamation and interfered with the agency's business relationships.
Two months later, Moore-Joseph filed a counter claim against PHS, then-Board of Directors Chairman Gerald Adcox and then-Board Treasurer Barbara Sawyer. It alleged defamation of Moore-Joseph's character and a violation of her protections under the Federal Whistleblower's Act.
The recently announced settlement only pertains to the case between PHS and Moore-Joseph, according to Pensacola Humane Society attorney Michael Kelly. The lawsuit filed by the Humane Society against the remaining staff members is ongoing.
"I can't talk about it other than to say we're in discussions with the board," Kelly said.
The blowup between the Board of Directors and Humane Society employees occurred in December of 2022 when a group of staff, volunteers and pet fosters calling themselves "We The Organization" published a memorandum to "take a stand against the board for mismanagement, misappropriation and violations to bylaws."
The We The Organization statement said Adcox, as board president, had been derelict in his fiduciary duties and was responsible for the misappropriation of funds, including grants and money brought in from donors and placed in restricted accounts. It blamed Adcox for failing to respond to a "financial crisis" within the organization.
"We The Organization will no longer sit idle in the knowledge of the present financial state of the Pensacola Humane Societynor continue to be governed by those who have failed at being good stewards to Pensacola Humane Society," it said.
It also charged Adcox with inappropriate behavior toward staff, volunteers and fellow members of the board of directors. It called on him to step down as board chairman.
Adcox, who after the memorandum appeared denied all allegations of reckless spending and misbehavior on his part, is no longer a member of the Humane Society Board of Directors and declined to comment for this article.
Relations between the Board of Directors and the rank and file at the Humane Society deteriorated quickly following the publishing of the We The Organization letter. A meeting between the two groups accomplished nothing, then Moore-Joseph was fired. She had originally been hired as director of development but was serving as interim director when the allegations against the board arose.
In early January of 2023, most of the remaining staff and volunteers emptied the Humane Society shelter by finding homes for animals in other shelters and walked off their jobs. The agency was forced to temporarily close its doors.
The Board's lawsuit claimed the former employees "intentionally and/or recklessly" published information that resulted in significant financial injury to the Humane Society, its good will and its reputation.
It accused the staffers of not only making false accusations in the original memorandum, but said they then "provided a novel's worth of false and defamatory comments to multiple news outlets" regarding the issues raised in their memorandum.
More:Ex-Pensacola Humane Society director files reams of documents to back misconduct claims
Moore-Joseph, who declined comment for this article, fought back with allegations of her own, and placed reams of documents into evidence to back up her claims that the board'smisappropriated Humane Society fundslay at the heart of the board's defamation claim against her and other staffers.
The document announcing the settlement agreement states that the Humane Society "continues to confidently assure its donors, volunteers, partner agencies, staff and board members that there has never been a better time to be a part of the Humane Society's mission to promote the humane treatment of our community's cats and dogs.
"The parties (Moore-Joseph and the Humane Society) share a common passion for the vital role that the Humane Society has served in the Pensacola area for over 80 years," the settlement statement said. "We encourage all those with a similar love for animals to volunteer, donate and partner with the Humane Society as we work to receive, rehabilitate and rehouse animals in crisis and advocate for the priceless value of the special bond between humans and their dogs and cats."
Kelly declined to comment further on the settlement agreement.
