Jonathan Saad, formerly a grant manager with Metro Arts, secured a $150,000 offer from city lawyers less than two months after filing suit against his ousted former boss Daniel Singh.
Over 12 pages, attorneys for Saad — who was passed over by Singh for three full-time positions in Metro Arts — describe the former grant manager as a victim of racial discrimination, hiring bias and workplace retaliation. Despite no direct evidence of any of Saad’s specific claims, the city did not contest his version of events, choosing instead to quickly agree on a payout according to court documents. Disputed facts between Singh and Saad could have forced the matter to trial.
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Saad’s settlement is the latest embarrassing and costly misstep for Metro’s ongoing Metro Arts cleanup job. The department fell under public scrutiny for bungling grant distribution more than a year ago. Saad’s settlement will come from $3 million allocated by the city to resolve outstanding claims related to Singh’s tenure at Metro Arts.
Saad filed his initial lawsuit on May 23 — a day before the city announced a $200,000 settlement terminating Daniel Singh. Two weeks later, he took a position leading The Forge Nashville, a maker space formerly known as Fort Houston. Saad filed to dismiss his employment suit on July 19.
Multiple Metro councilmembers have raised concerns about the settlement when speaking with the Scene on the condition of anonymity. Some worry it will create additional legal exposure for employees with lingering animosity toward Singh. At least one source describes the timing of the lawsuit, which dropped amid unified public outcry toward Singh, as “opportunistic.”
Saad argues that he faced retaliation for pushing back against Singh’s management decisions, invoking state whistleblower protections extended to those “refusing to participate in or remain silent about illegal activities.” Saad alleges racial discrimination but does not specify how his racial or ethnic identity — clarified in the complaint as half-white and half-Lebanese — was a factor in formal bias from Singh.
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Saad’s scorn, and his claims of retaliation and discrimination, rests on being passed over for three full-time jobs within Metro Arts, one of which he was performing on a contract basis. In a Feb. 9 email reviewed by the Scene, Singh says former Metro Arts director Jen Cole had received “three separate allegations of sexual advances by [Saad] from female grantees” who had not filed formal complaints out of fear of retaliation. While these allegations were never investigated, they could present at least one compelling reason why Saad was not hired for further employment. If the council approves the settlement at Tuesday’s meeting, the matter will not be litigated further.Â
City attorney Melissa Roberge, Metro’s lead litigator on the case, will appear this evening at the Metro Council’s Budget & Finance Committee meeting to field questions from councilmembers.
