Friday, February 26, 2016, 8:43 pm News Flash Archive

Judge Henry Lackey rejected Mayor Carolyn McAdams' request for sanctions of $58,000 against Sheriel Perkins, and upheld his prior order that McAdams pay Perkins $6440 in legal costs for McAdams' pursuing a failed motion for summary judgment last year.

Perkins filed an election contest against McAdams in June 2013, contesting her loss in the mayoral race earlier that month. After over a year and a half of legal wrangling, McAdams' attorneys Mark Garriga and Lem Montgomery from the law firm of Butler-Snow asked the Judge to dismiss the contest, but Lackey refused, and ordered McAdams to pay Perkins' legal costs for defending against the motion.

This award of legal costs to Perkins may be seen here: Perkins demands McAdams pay legal fees

The contest went to trial, with Lackey ultimately ruling against Perkins, and upholding McAdams' re-election as Greenwood's mayor.

At that point, McAdams' attorneys asked that the award of legal costs against their client be set aside. Later, McAdams filed a motion to sanction Mrs. Perkins $58,000 to pay for McAdams' legal fees in defending against the contest.

McAdams argued that Perkins' election contest was frivolous and had no chance of succeeding, and was filed for improper reasons.

But after holding a hearing, Judge Lackey rejected McAdams' demand for sanctions, ruling that Perkins' suit had not been frivolous or filed with malicious intent.

In his opinion signed January 28, 2016, Judge Lackey reiterated his order that McAdams pay Perkins the $6440 previously awarded.

John Pittman Hey
The Taxpayers Channel

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