Nearly seven months after Catholic Charities Fort Worth and Michael Iglio parted ways, the former leader of the nonprofit still wants to know why he was fired.
The former president and CEO filed a petition in November asking Tarrant County’s 352nd District Court for permission to take the testimony of several leaders of the charity as he is investigating the “mysterious nature of the termination.”
Catholic Charities Fort Worth responded to Iglio’s petition in December, alleging that Iglio “failed to satisfy many aspects of Rule 202,” a specific Texas Rule of Civil Procedure that allows a person to ask a court to take a deposition, or sworn testimony, before a lawsuit is formally filed.
The charity alleges in its response that Iglio “has not put forth a single viable justification for why the sought-after testimony could not be obtained in the anticipated suit and should be expedited to pre-suit discovery,” according to the filing.
Iglio told the Fort Worth Report on March 9 that he received approval from a judge after a court hearing in January to summon the nonprofit’s board members as well as past and present employees to testify. Court records show citations were issued to individuals on Jan. 30.
“I didn’t do anything morally or ethically wrong … truly, I led with passion and fervor for an incredible mission,” Iglio said. “I want to understand the truth here. I want to figure out what’s going on because I was defamed.”
Iglio filed a complaint with the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission in December alleging discrimination and retaliation, according to a press release.
The purpose of the depositions is to assess whether he was defamed by any staff or defamed or defrauded by the nonprofit’s board. Iglio alleges he was “treated differently than other past CEOs of Catholic Charities” and needs to determine whether he was discriminated against, according to the court filing.
Alyse Chung, director of communications for the organization, told the Report in a March 10 statement that Catholic Charities Fort Worth is “confident in our decision about the future of this agency and the people it serves.
“These claims have no merit, and we welcome the opportunity to address any allegations through the appropriate channels of the judicial system,” the statement read.
Iglio told the Report he was terminated from his role in August and could not take his personal belongings with him. He said it took “over three months” to have some of his items returned. When he received them, Iglio said, “They were broken. They were missing. They were crumpled.”
Iglio said he is still missing items, including a rosary he used on a regular basis; a statue of Jesus and Saint Michael; and books from his office, according to a press release.
Iglio said he recognizes Texas is a “right-to-work state,” but, as a Catholic, he feels there is a “moral code” as well.
“Treating people with dignity and respect is the paramount foundation of Catholic social teachings that was not given to me through this process,” Iglio said.
Catholic Charities Fort Worth announced in October Heather Reynolds would return to the organization as its next CEO. She stepped into the role in February.
Iglio’s filing notes a complaint that led to Iglio being subjected to a performance improvement plan in May, prior to his termination.
Iglio and his attorney allege the nonprofit’s grievance policy was ignored; that he was treated “differently than others”; that the complaint against him “was never disclosed in full”; and that “he was denied a meaningful opportunity to respond.”
Catholic Charities Fort Worth had seven CEOs within the past five years, David Fielding, Iglio’s attorney, said in a press release.
“This level of turnover continues to damage Catholic Charities’ reputation across Texas. It is now suffering from a broken culture — entitlements and overreach by some board members and employees,” Fielding said.
Iglio had overseen Catholic Charities Fort Worth since June 2023. Before that, he was the organization’s chief operating officer beginning in April 2020.
Iglio noted in the filings that he intends for the testimony to be recorded on video as well as have a written record of the deposition.
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
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