Family Justice Center offers abuse victims services in Oak Ridge
Oakridger
A new facility with services for victims of elder abuse, domestic abuse, sexual assault and exploitation has opened in Oak Ridge. It s more than a place. It s a philosophy, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He said the facility will help our most tender victims in their darkest hour.
The center is at 301 Broadway Avenue, Unit 1A, with offices on the top story of a building that features a recent mural.
Melissa Miller, the family justice center s executive director, said the various agencies and law enforcement groups were already offering the services the family justice center will offer, but the new center puts them under one roof. She called it a one stop shop for these victims.
Jury: Anderson County not liable for sexual harassment of employee
Oakridger
A federal jury in Chattanooga has ruled that William Jones, former Anderson County Circuit Court clerk, sexually harassed plaintiff Gail Harness, one of his former employees in that county government office.
However, this jury also ruled that Anderson County government is not liable for Jones actions and does not have to pay damages to Harness.
Harness’s attorney, Richie Collins of the Knoxville law firm Stanley, Kurtz and Collins sent a news release Thursday, June 24, announcing the lawsuit will be ongoing, and Harness plans to appeal.
“Due to Jones’s status as an elected official, the federal district court determined that it was presented with a novel legal question regarding whether Anderson County could be held liable under the U.S. Constitution, and under the Court’s disputed instructions to the jury, the jury held that Anderson County was not liable for Jones’s sexual harassment.