Commissioners Approve Making Counter Offer in Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit
Hardeman County Commissioners voted to approve offering a 1.2 million dollar counter offer to settle lawsuits after rejecting a nearly three million dollar settlement agreement last month.
See also: Hardeman County Will Continue Fighting Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit After Rejecting Settlement
Commissioner Brad Grantham made a motion to offer the 1.2 million dollar settlement, which requires a response of acceptance or rejection by the next county commission meeting. Commissioner David Bell seconded the motion. Only two commissioners voted against the motion, Cory Bufford and Joseph Jenkins. The settlement does not include lawyers fees, which were previously estimated to be around $3,000,000.
Commissioners Thomas Polk and Johnny Weems were absent due to health reasons.
The settlement agreement stems from three lawsuits filed in 2019 and 2021, involving Hardeman County Sheriff’s Department deputies, jailers, and dispatchers who allege they were paid incorrectly under previous Hardeman County Mayor Jimmy Sain’s leadership. The allegations include items such as disputed overtime pay, not receiving proper comp time, vacation pay and holiday pay, not getting paid for training, being required to report to work before their scheduled shift began, being required to stay and complete work after their shift had ended, and retaliation.
The lawsuit trial, which was originally scheduled to begin in August 2023, has been moved to October 2023. The retaliation trial is scheduled for August 2023.
The next County Commission meeting will be on May 16, 2023, and will be broadcast live on the Hatchie Press Facebook page.
You may watch the full meeting below. The lawsuit discussion begins at the 59 minute mark.
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