Llano County settles librarian’s wrongful termination suit over book removals for $225,000

Former librarian Suzette Baker will receive $225,000 in a settlement of her wrongful termination lawsuit against Llano County, according to an agreement shared with the American-Statesman.

The settlement, which will be paid by the Texas Association of Counties, marks the end of a yearlong legal battle between Baker and Llano County officials. The 58-year-old accused them of firing her in 2022 because she refused to pull library materials that a group of conservative activists had deemed inappropriate for children. Several of the books focused on race and LGBTQ+ experiences, including “They Called Us the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group” and “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen.” The targeted titles were chosen from a list compiled in 2021 by former state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth.

Baker also accused county officials of suppressing her First Amendment rights by barring her and other librarians from attending public Library Advisory Board meetings during their personal and vacation time. Baker, a veteran and mom of five adult kids, has worked as a cashier at a hardware store for more than a year. While relieved the lawsuit is over, she isn’t celebrating.

“It’s saddening that it had to come to this,” she said in a phone interview with the Statesman. “But I hope it’s enough to make the county stop and pay attention to the citizens and their rights and the people who know what they’re doing in the libraries.”

Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham said the county “wholly denies” Baker’s claims and was “prepared to prove it in court,” he told the Statesman in a statement Friday. The Texas Association of Counties resolved the case to avoid the expense of a trial or other continuing litigation, which would have exceeded the settlement amount, he added.

Cunningham also said the suit’s resolution will allow the county to concentrate on everyday business, including “emergency services, maintaining our county road system, and offering vital rural health care to our citizens.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Baker will never again work as a librarian in the Texas Hill Country county of Llano, roughly 80 miles northwest of Austin. She also cannot apply to or work in any other Llano County job.

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