Post by Oscar Knight on Jan 29, 2011 16:53:31 GMT -6
Victor Hill, Clayton County Georgia's first black sheriff (pictured below) fired a group of county officers, mostly Whites, when he took office several years ago. The group has been awarded $7 million as a settlement in the case.
www.wsbtv.com/2006/1108/10276736_120X90.jpg
$7 Million Settlement For Fired Clayton Deputies
POSTED: 6:42 am EDT June 20, 2007
UPDATED: 12:07 pm EDT June 20, 2007
JONESBORO, Ga. -- Clayton County commissioners have approved a multi-million dollar settlement for sheriff's department employees whom Sheriff Victor Hill fired on his first day in office in January 2005.
Harlan Miller is lead attorney for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit. He says the settlement approved last night likely will mean about $7 million for the 34 workers.
The money will come from a $5 million county insurance fund and likely from money collected from Fulton County for inmates housed in the Clayton County Jail.
Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell says no taxpayer money will be used to pay for the settlement.
The firing of the workers on January 3, 2005, drew national attention and sparked an ongoing feud between Hill and some county commissioners.
Deputies summoned the employees to the jail that morning and stripped them of their guns and badges. Sheriff's office snipers stood guard on the jail's roof as the 27 fired workers were escorted out. Another seven workers later joined the lawsuit, claiming wrongful treatment by Hill.
Hill, the county's first black sheriff, said that day he inherited what he called a "dysfunctional organization" and said the firings were part of his plan to clean up the 331 employee office.
The next day Clayton County Superior Court Judge Stephen Boswell ruled the employees were fired without cause, and they went back to work about two months later.
The workers, most of whom are white, sued the county, claiming they were fired because of their race or because they supported Hill's opponent in the 2004 sheriff's race.
Several county commissioners, including Bell, supported the workers.
www.wsbtv.com/news/13534525/detail.html
www.wsbtv.com/2006/1108/10276736_120X90.jpg
$7 Million Settlement For Fired Clayton Deputies
POSTED: 6:42 am EDT June 20, 2007
UPDATED: 12:07 pm EDT June 20, 2007
JONESBORO, Ga. -- Clayton County commissioners have approved a multi-million dollar settlement for sheriff's department employees whom Sheriff Victor Hill fired on his first day in office in January 2005.
Harlan Miller is lead attorney for the plaintiffs in a lawsuit. He says the settlement approved last night likely will mean about $7 million for the 34 workers.
The money will come from a $5 million county insurance fund and likely from money collected from Fulton County for inmates housed in the Clayton County Jail.
Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell says no taxpayer money will be used to pay for the settlement.
The firing of the workers on January 3, 2005, drew national attention and sparked an ongoing feud between Hill and some county commissioners.
Deputies summoned the employees to the jail that morning and stripped them of their guns and badges. Sheriff's office snipers stood guard on the jail's roof as the 27 fired workers were escorted out. Another seven workers later joined the lawsuit, claiming wrongful treatment by Hill.
Hill, the county's first black sheriff, said that day he inherited what he called a "dysfunctional organization" and said the firings were part of his plan to clean up the 331 employee office.
The next day Clayton County Superior Court Judge Stephen Boswell ruled the employees were fired without cause, and they went back to work about two months later.
The workers, most of whom are white, sued the county, claiming they were fired because of their race or because they supported Hill's opponent in the 2004 sheriff's race.
Several county commissioners, including Bell, supported the workers.
www.wsbtv.com/news/13534525/detail.html