New Hanover County resident suing county leaders after removal from 2022 meeting

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – A New Hanover County resident is suing county commissioners after he was removed from a meeting in October of 2023, when he was speaking during a public comment period.

New Hanover County resident Neal Shulman claims that his right to free speech was violated during the October 3 meeting when Julia Olson-Boseman, who at that time was chairwoman of the board of commissioners, stopped him during public comment, asking a bailiff to remove Shulman from the meeting.

The dialogue exchanged between Shulman and Olson-Boseman during the meeting included:

Neal Shulman: Who in here would enter into a business agreement with Julia Boseman and give her $50,000?

Julia Olson-Boseman: “And here you’re done. Goodbye.”

Shulman: I’m not done yet.

Olson-Boseman: No, you’re excused.

Shulman: But yet you have the same thing with Novant.

Olson Boseman: Remove him, remove him. This is not … you do not attack me personally. Bailiff, remove him. Time’s up.”

Two weeks after Neal Shulman was removed from this October meeting, his attorney Richard Theokas filed a lawsuit in New Hanover County Superior Court.

The lawsuit claims by removing Shulman, Julia Olson-Boseman violated more than just the New Hanover County Commission’s rules and code of ethics.

“It claims that the chairwoman at the time, Julia Olson-Boseman, violated in-fact as a group, they violated my clients first amendment rights to freedom of speech,” said Richard Theokas, Shulman’s attorney.

In addition to Olson-Boseman, other defendants include County Manager Chris Coudriet and County Attorney Wanda Copley, along with other New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, except Jonathan Barfield, who was absent from the meeting.

The filing argues the others did not object to Olson-Boseman’s removal of Shulman.

“That is a viewpoint of discrimination, or some kind of literal discrimination against Mr. Schulman and his right to express himself in front of a governmental body,” said Theokas.

Since the initial filing, the defense attorney has filed a motion to dismiss, and prepared a written memorandum of law, arguing New Hanover County is entitled to governmental immunity, which protects the state and local governments from lawsuits.

“What about government immunity, and that would apply if they were operating in the scope of their governmental responsibilities, but in this case when you outright deny someone their first amendment rights, that –you’re stepping outside those limits, and you don’t have any protections, so that a claim can be made against them for their conduct, and that’s what we’ve done,” said Theokas.

WWAY reached out to the office of Frederick Bailey, the attorney representing the defendants,  but they have no comment at this time.

The case has been moved to federal court.

The lawsuit requests Shulman be awarded a minimum of $50,000 as compensation if the court rules in his favor. His attorney anticipates it to be at least a year until the lawsuit nears a settlement. If there is no settlement, the lawsuit will go to trial.