In court documents

filed recently, former Fayetteville City Manager Mike Bryant denies that

he sexually harassed two city employees "or anyone else."

Bryant has

also filed a counterclaim against former Main Street director Sherri Anderson

and current city employee Amanda Jones, who are suing him for sexual harassment.

Bryant claims the two have engaged in libel and slander against him through

statements they have made and letters they have written which were published

in this newspaper in February.

The actions

of Anderson and Jones have hurt his reputation and caused him to lose

a job offer as the executive director of public works for Sarasota County,

Fla., Bryant claims. He is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages

if the court rules in his favor.

Anderson and

Jones filed the suit earlier this year contending they were retaliated

against after making claims they were sexually harassed by Bryant. They

claimed that Bryant "would initiate conversations of a sexual and

personal nature" with Anderson and that both she and Jones were rebuked

for their claims.

The suit claims

that the city didn't take immediate action once it learned of sexual harassment

claims against Bryant.

In documents

he filed with the U.S District Court's Newnan Division, Bryant denied

that he sexually harassed either woman. He was placed on paid administrative

leave in January and he later resigned in February.

Anderson resigned

from her position in August, claiming that she was suffering health problems

from stress.

The city and

Morton claim that any actions taken against Anderson and Jones were for

"legitimate, non-discriminatory and non-retaliatory reasons."

If any employee

was sexually harassed by Bryant, those actions were outside the scope

of Bryant's employment, the answer states.

The city and

Morton "exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly

unlawfully harassing behavior," the answer states. The city and Morton

also said that Anderson and Jones should have reported the incident.

Bryant said

in his response to the suit that he was a "strong supporter of his

female staff members" and pointed out that he established an equal

pay for equal position policy when he joined the city.