PAWS LAWSUIT SETTLED

A lawsuit filed last year against the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society in Fort Walton Beach has been settled. The settlement between PAWS and former agency employee Manda Moore was reached during a mediation session Friday, but PAWS Executive Director Tracey Williams said the terms of the settlement are confidential. The lawsuit alleged financial malfeasance by PAWS. Moore served as PAWS’ community development director until September 2019, when she was fired. She said she was fired for coming forward as a whistleblower, speaking out against fiscal mismanagement, claiming former PAWS Director Dee Thompson misused and misapplied PAWS money and made false statements in order to obtain or retain grant money.  Thompson resigned unexpectedly in February, citing personal reasons.