Madison County Commission reaches settlement in lawsuit

JACKSON, Tenn. — During a tense meeting Monday morning, the Madison County Commission voted to settle a former sheriff’s office employee’s lawsuit for $1.3 million.

In the lawsuit the former jail employee alleged that the sheriff’s office did not pay overtime for jail employees, despite requiring them to come in earlier than scheduled, and to stay later than scheduled. It also alleges that the department did not keep accurate records.

County Commissioner Doug Stephenson says it’s the sheriff’s responsibility.

“It’s on his watch. He has his own HR person, he’s got his own record keeping team. They should’ve known this,” Stephenson said.

The county then voted to pass an amendment that $1 million of the $1.3 million settlement has to come from the sheriff’s budget.

Sheriff John Mehr says jail employees have come in early before he was ever sheriff.

“This has been a practice that they’ve been doing for 20 plus years, or however long. Bringing in the correctional officers in 15 minutes before their shift, so they can know what went on inside the jail,” Mehr said.

Mehr declined to say whether he agreed with the choice to settle the lawsuit.

“It went through mediation, and I can’t comment on that,” Mehr said.

That led to yet another debate on how the sheriff manages his budget. 

“We’re having difficulty understanding how somebody can manage their funds the way that they’re managing them, which I say is very, very inept at best,” Stephenson said.

Sheriff Mehr says more changes will come once the new time system is installed at the jails.