Former Nelsonville council member Greg Smith has filed a countersuit against the city alleging retaliation

By: Joshua Hoerner
Posted on: Thursday, July 24, 2025

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — A former Nelsonville City Council member has filed a countersuit against the city alleging officials retaliated against him for exercising his First Amendment rights.

This comes after Nelsonville filed a lawsuit against Greg Smith in May, alleging he is trying to commit fraud against the city for seeking pay for a period of time he was on council. 

The city argues this violates an agreement Smith signed in December 2023 to settle lawsuits Smith filed against the city. The city agreed to pay Smith $137,500, and the agreement said Smith would “not seek any further compensation or benefits of any kind or nature from the city.” 

After the agreement was signed, Smith continued to serve on the council until his resignation in February 2024. The city says Smith is not entitled to any pay for this period because of the settlement agreement. Smith argues in his countersuit that he did not waive payment for his continued service on council after the agreement was signed.  

The city also alleges in its lawsuit that Smith did not fill out paperwork necessary to receive payment for this period. Smith claims he did complete the paperwork and asked to be resent the necessary documents. He claims they were never provided.  

Smith argues the city’s lawsuit against him is in retaliation for his participation in the passing of Issue 23 last November, which requires the city to transition to a new form of government. 

The city also claims Smith was a conspirator in a plan to have Margarita Nguyen speak up at a council meeting in April, which resulted in her arrest on a charge of disrupting a public meeting. 

Smith denies this and contends the city’s lawsuit and allegations against him are “adverse actions that would deter a person of ordinary firmness from pursuing their First Amendment rights.”