Glenn sues 7 Jefferson officials
Former Jefferson Police Chief Darren Glenn filed suit against seven of his former bosses Tuesday in Jackson County Superior Court. In the lawsuit, Glenn claims that he was unjustly fired in 2006 and was subsequently denied a name-clearing hearing by the officials.
Named in the lawsuit are Mayor Jim Joiner, councilmembers Steve Kinney, David Varnadoe, C.D. Kidd, and Bosie Griffeth, city manager John Ward and former city manager David Clabo. The seven are being sued as individuals and the city itself isn’t named in the lawsuit. Former city councilman Philip Thompson is also not named in the suit. Thompson opposed Glenn’s firing in 2006.
The lawsuit asks for $100,000 in lost wages, $5,540 in attorney fees and punitive damages of $1 million. The suit asks for a jury trial to decide the matter.
Glenn is being represented by former Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers in the suit.
BACKGROUND
When Jefferson officials fired Glenn in 2006, they said it was because he had mishandled a 2005 demotion involving JPD officer Lee New. According to this week’s lawsuit, city attorney Ronnie Hopkins recommended in 2006 that Clabo and Ward fire Glenn because it would be cheaper for the city to do that than fight a lawsuit being threatened by the policeman’s lawyer.
Glenn was fired later that same day and New agreed not to sue the city. But Glenn was denied a subsequent name-clearing hearing, according to the suit. The denial of that hearing forms the crux of Glenn’s action against the officials named in the suit.
STRING OF LITIGATION
Glenn has been the subject of multiple legal actions since 2005. Two months after he was fired, Glenn won an unemployment hearing against the city. That decision outlined the failure by city officials prove Glenn violated any city policies and procedures.
Glenn was also the subject of a lengthy state criminal investigation starting in 2005. Glenn was cleared of any wrongdoing in that probe by a grand jury in December 2007.
Glenn also won a federal court ruling in 2007 that threw out a civil rights suit filed by JPD officer New.
