The former director of transportation for the Fairfield County School District has filed a $4 million lawsuit against the district – as well as against an acting superintendent – for wrongful termination and other offenses.

Danny Miller, who served as Transportation Director from Nov. 2007 to July 2009, filed the lawsuit last week through his attorneys, J. Lewis Cromer and Benjamin Mabry of Cromer & Mabry in Columbia.

“This is not something I wanted to do,” Miller said. “This is my last resort, to sue the school district. I didn’t want to have to do this.”

Miller was dismissed from his position last July after he had suspended a bus driver who had failed a drug test for crack cocaine. While Miller said he had obtained permission from his immediate supervisor before suspending the driver, he had not received permission to do so from the acting superintendent, Marie Milam.

According to Miller, Milam was on vacation at the time of the incident, but, he added, she was notified of the suspension immediately upon her return. Miller said his actions were in line with district policy.

A press release from Cromer & Mabry notes that Miller was later charged with sexual harassment by Milam and others, but that the charges had been fully investigated and that Miller had been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Miller claims that his dismissal was retaliation for his relationship with his daughter, Daniell Miller, and his brother, Henry Miller, who both serve on the Fairfield County School Board of Trustees, and their opposition to the policies and practices of the school district.

“Things are not just rotten in Denmark, but they appear to be rotten in (the) Fairfield School District as well,” Cromer said. “I hope that the new school superintendent will take a good hard look at the events of the last year or two and make substantial changes in the direction of the leadership of the district.”

The lawsuit seeks $2 million in actual damages from the school district and $1 million in actual damages and $1 million in punitive damages from Milam.

“We are filing this lawsuit because it appears to me that this is Mr. Miller’s last chance to defend himself and to restore his integrity,” Cromer said.

According to the lawsuit, Milam “reprimanded (Miller) and claimed that he had acted in some way improperly in suspending the bus driver from employment without her advanced permission.”

“Shortly thereafter, on or about July 7, 2009, (Miller) was terminated from his position for the same reason,” the lawsuit continues.

Miller appealed the termination, “and a grievance committee found that he had not committed any offense as had been charged by the defendant Milam,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit goes on to say that Milam then “appealed to the school board, who found (Miller) guilty of insubordination for suspending the bus driver who failed the drug test and also for alleged sexual harassment, without any basis or evidence in support of either charge.”

Attempts by The Herald Independent to reach the school district for comment were unsuccessful.