A Laurel Circuit Court judge has issued a restraining order preventing the London City Council from implementing four recently adopted ordinances, ruling that the measures could unlawfully retaliate against city employees and pose risks to public safety.
In an order entered Dec. 31, 2025, Special Judge Samuel Spalding granted an ex parte restraining order in a lawsuit filed by 86 City of London employees against the City of London, the City Council, and six current council members, both individually and in their official capacities.
The lawsuit challenges Ordinances 2025-13, 2025-14, 2025-15 and 2025-16, which were introduced by the City Council and vetoed by Mayor Randall Weddle before the vetoes were overridden at a special called meeting on Dec. 30. The ordinances were scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
Manchester attorney Jake Roberts and Emily M. Campbell, a London native who practices with Rowady Hendricks Law, PSC, in Winchester, filed the suit on behalf of the employees. “Any employee should be free to engage in protected activity, constitutionally or otherwise, without the fear of retaliation or reprisal,” Roberts said. He continued, “the law should apply equally to everyone, regardless of who you support politically.” Campbell noted her strong connection to the City of London. She said, “London has been my home my entire life. The employees of the city are the heartbeat of our community, and they deserve to be treated with the utmost respect.” She added, “the employees should not fear for the safety of their jobs and should be free to speak their minds and serve their community without fear of retaliation.”
According to the court’s findings, the complaint demonstrates a “toxic relationship” between the mayor and the current City Council and alleges the ordinances could eliminate up to 72 city positions, significantly reduce salaries, and adversely affect essential services, including police, fire, public works, and rescue operations.
The court further found sufficient cause to believe the ordinances were retaliatory in nature, particularly toward employees who supported Mayor Weddle or who filed a hostile work environment complaint with the City’s Human Resources Department in September 2025.
Judge Spalding wrote that the ordinances would “clearly adversely affect numerous city employees” and that public safety could be compromised due to staffing and salary reductions before a full hearing could be held.
While noting the court is “extremely reluctant” to grant restraining orders without notice, the judge stated the timing of the ordinances’ implementation left no opportunity to conduct a hearing before they were set to take effect. As a result, the court concluded good cause existed to temporarily block enforcement of the ordinances until further review.
The order restrains the Mayor and City Council members from implementing or enforcing the four ordinances and will remain in effect until a hearing is held on January 5, 2026, at 9 a.m., at the Laurel County Judicial Center. At that time, the court will determine whether the restraining order should remain in place.
The order is designated as a final order for purposes of the restraining action.
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