HUNTINGTON Several defendants in a lawsuit alleging an employee was wrongfully accused of obstructing an investigation are asking for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
The Wayne County Commission, Wayne County Sheriff Richard Thompson and Deputy Harry Sowards filed a motion to dismiss the case in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia at Huntington.
The defendants argue that there are no First Amendment violations that occurred and that the plaintiff did not actually allege any policy or custom of the commission in connection with his First, Fourth or 14th Amendment rights. Here, the Complaint is completely devoid of any factual allegation that the Wayne County Commission had a written policy, ordinance, regulation, or formally adopted decision regarding any alleged deprivation or act complained of regarding its officers, the motion states.
HUNTINGTON A retired employee has sued the Wayne County Board of Education and others, saying he was wrongfully accused of obstructing an investigation into and taking party in a criminal conspiracy regarding theft of board property.
David Eugene Sammons filed the complaint February 1 in U.S. District Court against the board, Superintendent Tod Alexander, the Wayne County Commission, Wayne County Sheriff Rick Thompson, Deputy Sheriff Harry Sowards and Howard Meddings. He also says several of the defendants were guilty of obstructing the investigation.
All of the parties also are central to a related civil lawsuit filed last year by two other former board employees who say they were prosecuted to intimidate, embarrass and harm their reputation and credibility and to prevent Katrina and James Reeves from keeping their jobs.