The Carmel City Council is conducting an investigation into a harassment allegation against former city attorney Doug Haney, who resigned from the position in December 2020.
Several sources with knowledge of the investigation confirmed that an employee of the law department filed a complaint against Haney, which eventually led to his resignation.
Carmel City Councilor Laura Campbell, who served as council president in 2020, confirmed that she launched an investigation of a city employee last fall but declined to provide specific details. She released a statement addressing the investigation on Feb. 23.
“Last November I was made aware of a very disturbing employee complaint that had been pending for months and not resolved. I began an investigation into the matter as provided by the Indiana Code. I notified the council of this investigation in December. The investigation seeks to determine whether city of Carmel written policies regarding employees’ complaints have been adhered to in this instance,” stated Campbell. “As a council, we are working to help the city create and maintain a safe environment where employees are treated with dignity and respect, and that the city policies in place are followed consistently to allow employees to get a fair resolution of their complaint in a timely manner.”
Campbell declined to comment further because of the confidential nature of the complaint, but sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed Haney as the target of the investigation.
The city council is set to review an ordinance at its March 1 meeting outlining the council’s investigatory powers.
Current has reached out to Mayor Jim Brainard and the City of Carmel for comment. Attempts to reach Haney were not successful.
In an unrelated matter, Haney is a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed in 2018 by Carmel resident Gary Brooks, who has difficulty forming new memories. According to court records, Brooks claimed Haney became aggressive on two occasions when Brooks attempted to use a video recorder to document interactions in City Hall. A trial has been set for June.
