Haines said Greene was dismayed by the public criticism voiced by board members, who voted unanimously Aug. 26 to suspend Greene for 30 days with pay pending an investigation into four sexual-harassment claims brought against him by PHA employees.
"I don't know that Carl Greene wants his job back, given what has been done to him," Haines said.
Reaction to Greene's lawsuit was immediate.
John M. Elliott, an attorney representing Elizabeth Helm, a 29-year-old interior designer who has accused Greene of sexual harassment, called the court action "the final outrageous act of a desperate man."
Elliott initially negotiated a tentative $250,000 settlement for Helm last month but now says he has seen no settlement papers and will not settle for less than $375,000. Helm alleges Greene touched, grabbed, and groped her during a business dinner to discuss a promotion.
"A court of law is the only place I know of where allegations of the kind alluded to here can be proven," Elliott said. ". . . I'd like to get Carl Greene under oath in court as soon as possible. It's absolutely incredible that someone who engages in a pattern of predatory sexual misconduct . . . would have the chutzpah to file that kind of lawsuit."
Haines filed Greene's lawsuit in U.S. District Court late Tuesday afternoon just before the clerk's office closed, leaving no time for reporters or PHA officials to obtain copies of the actual complaint.
PHA Board Chairman John F. Street, the former mayor, was teaching his regular class at Temple University Tuesday evening and had not seen the suit.
Other board members and Mayor Nutter did not immediately return calls for comment.
