Miriam Kovacs wasn’t happy to settle her case against the city of Franklin.
The Broken Spoon restaurant owner said she sought to turn her negative experience of receiving hateful messages online into positive reform to help residents get the support they need in the future.
The purpose of the lawsuit filed in 2022 was to hold the city’s government accountable and to change how local police and officials respond to hate-related incidents against its citizens, she said.
“I didn’t view it as punishment, more so an opportunity to serve your community better, because that’s what the government is supposed to do,” Kovacs said.
In 2023, Kovacs’ attorneys made an initial offer for the city to pay $7,340 in her attorney fees, admit to all 10 counts listed in the lawsuit and agree to a list of commitments including police reform and training.
This month, the city of Franklin and Kovacs came to a $75,000 settlement. In addition to rejecting Kovacs’ actionable demands, the settlement stipulated that the city did not admit to any fault through the decision, according to the document.
“The case settled for more than 10 times the [monetary] amount with no substantive commitments,” attorney Michael Lewis said. “I just think that’s worth meditating on.”
Lewis said the ultimate decision left both him and his client “sad” and “worried” about how the city did not uphold its constitutional obligation to serve its residents.
“The distance between the way in which the case resolved on monetary grounds as opposed to substantial grounds is where our concerns are, but that’s just the way that we could get this done,” Lewis said.
Acting City Manager Scott Clarenbach, who was hired in March, said he could not respond for comment.
In 2022, Kovacs denounced a white supremacist group on social media. Shortly after, she received hundreds of one-star restaurant reviews that used racist and misogynistic language, some making references to the Holocaust, said Kovacs, who is of Jewish and South Asian descent.
Kovacs said she contacted local police who did not treat the situation with enough urgency as she felt it warranted. Former Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein responded to Kovacs criticism of the police with a public Facebook post that discredited her concern and stated it had taken action to her complaint.
“I don’t feel as though I should have to teach someone what a hate crime is when I’m in the midst of my own personal trauma,” Kovacs said. “Your local government is supposed to help the people, that’s their job.”
At the time, Kovacs was dating Mark Faro, a Franklin police officer. Goldstein sent Faro a disciplinary letter saying Kovacs displayed “anti-law enforcement attitudes and behaviors” and that his relationship with her “undermined” the police force, according to the lawsuit. Faro resigned and stood with Kovacs.
Kovacs’ lawsuit asked the city to create a new commission in the police department to address complaints and train public officials on the state’s public information laws.
“I was not happy about settling,” Kovacs said. “I thought we could have taken something really awful and made it better for others … I guess I understand that this is the reality of what happens.”
Emilia Wisniewski can be reached at ewisniewski@cmonitor.com
