A former Hampton director is suing the city for wrongful termination, gender and racial discrimination, alleging that his firing was based in part on “baseless innuendo” that he engaged in an affair with an employee from his department.

Kevin Myers was fired as the city’s Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services director on Sept. 24, 2018, following a protracted investigation in which he, “for several weeks, was surveilled without his knowledge,” according to court documents.

In a lawsuit filed this year in federal court in Norfolk, Myers who is Black, says he was treated differently, disciplined and ultimately fired based on his race and gender for alleged behaviors, while white male and female city employees accused of similar acts were allowed to keep their jobs.

Myers was placed on administrative leave June 2018, suspended for a month without pay a few weeks later and fired that autumn. The city hired a white male who had less experience than Myers for the director role, court documents said.