Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor in New York known for handling cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, has filed suit against the Justice Department, alleging her dismissal in July was unlawful and unconstitutional.
In a complaint submitted Monday to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Comey’s attorneys argued her termination was carried out “without cause, without advance notice, and without any opportunity to contest it.” They described her as an “exemplary, dedicated, and highly decorated public servant” who had been repeatedly promoted for her work on major prosecutions.
Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was dismissed one day after being asked to take the lead on a significant public corruption investigation, according to the filing. Her lawyers noted that she had recently received an “outstanding” performance review from supervisors.
The lawsuit contends her removal was politically motivated, pointing to her father’s long-standing conflicts with President Donald Trump. James Comey was fired as FBI director in 2017 during the bureau’s investigation into possible ties between Trump’s associates and Russia. He has continued to be a frequent critic of the president, and is himself under Justice Department scrutiny after posting an image on Instagram in May that federal officials claimed encouraged violence against Trump — an accusation James Comey denied.
The filing states Maurene Comey was notified of her dismissal in a July 16 memo emailed from a Justice Department official, which read: “Pursuant to Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States, your employment with the Department of Justice is hereby terminated, and you are removed from federal service effective immediately.”
Her attorneys said that when she asked Jay Clayton, the interim U.S. attorney, for clarification, he told her: “All I can say is it came from Washington. I can’t tell you anything else.” No further justification was provided, they said.
The complaint asks the court to reinstate Comey to her position in the Southern District of New York and to bar the department from taking adverse action against her without due process.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit.
