Thursday, August 14, 2014, 12:56 pm News Flash Archive

Troy Brown filed suit yesterday in Federal Court against Leflore County and the Board of Supervisors for firing him last February from his position as Emergency Management Director.

Brown claims he was fired by the Board of Supervisors because of letters he wrote condemning the way county government operates, especially alleging that county administrator Sam Abraham, in effect, runs the county.

Brown's suit describes the dispute between Board members that resulted in Board President Robert Collins' ouster by three members. When Brown was hired, he was placed first under the Board's direction, then under Abraham's direction, then under Sheriff Banks' direction, before he was fired. Just prior to the firing, Brown had written two letters to the editor which were published by the Greenwood Commonwealth, detailing his claims that Sam Abraham exercises improper control over the actions of the Board of Supervisors which employs Abraham as county administrator.

Brown claims that his firing was the result of his speaking out about important matters of public concern, and constitutes retaliation by the Board of Supervisors against him for exercising his First Amendment privileges under the Constitution.

The complaint may be viewed here: Brown v. Leflore County Complaint

The lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Debra M. Brown.

Previously, Brown's attorney Jim Waide had written Board attorney Joyce Chiles, stating that Brown was contemplating suing the county for violating his First Amendment rights, and seeking a settlement. That letter may be seen here: Troy Brown letter of notice

Jim Waide is a crack civil rights attorney from Tupelo. Waide recently won a judgment against the Greenwood-Leflore Hospital Board after a jury ruled that it had fired George Dulin because he is white.

John Pittman Hey
The Taxpayers Channel

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