Two longtime former deputies in the Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office allege in a federal lawsuit filed this week in Nashville that their 2022 dismissals were politically motivated.
Veronica Edmondson and Annecia Donigan name former Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk Richard Rooker, current Circuit Court Clerk Joseph Day and the Metro Government in their lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Edmondson started working in the office in 2002 and was fired on Aug. 31, 2022. Donigan was hired in 1996 and was fired on the same day as Edmondson. The two former employees argue that they were exemplary employees and never had disciplinary issues.
Rooker, a longtime local political figure, announced in 2021 that he would not seek another term and that he was supporting his deputy Joseph Day’s candidacy for the post in 2022.
Day narrowly won the May 2022 Democratic primary over Howard Jones and Pam Murray and was unopposed in the August general election. His first day in office was Sept. 1, the day after the alleged firings.
According to the lawsuit, Rooker asked court staff to support Day and “they were expected to work on the campaign.” The lawsuit alleges that Rooker had previously leaned on court staff to support his prior campaigns.
“Rooker went so far as to make an announcement at a campaign function that any employees of the Davidson County Circuit Court’s office who did not support … Day would no longer have positions after the election,” the lawsuit contends.
Edmondson and Donigan say in the lawsuit that they did not support Day’s candidacy. They allege their dismissal was because of their lack of support and violated their First Amendment rights. They also allege that four other female court employees were terminated at the same time and for the same reason.
Both are asking for more than $1.2 million in damages. They are represented by Memphis attorney Paul Forrest Craig, who was unavailable for comment Thursday.
Rooker deferred comment to Day’s office other than to note that he “did not terminate anyone.” Day could not immediately be reached for comment through his office. A Metro Human Resources official confirmed both employees’ last day with Metro was Aug. 31.
This article first ran via our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
