At the end of January, the initial employment discrimination case against Fannin County came to a close.  Former employees, Donnie Green and Thomas Weldon charged that their employer, Fannin County, had discriminated against them when forcing them to leave their former positions.  The case dates back to 2011. The county was cleared of any employment discrimination against the employees and all claims were dismissed.  Both the defendants and the county are responsible for their own legal fees.

After the EEOC finding, the employees decided to launch a civil lawsuit.  According to County Clerk Rita Kirby, the current lawsuit, while containing the same plaintiffs, is legally separate and apart from the EEOC case.  The current lawsuit is being handled by the county’s liability insurance carrier.  Thus, the county itself is outside of the legal proceedings and cannot comment on the case until it comes to a close.  Ms. Kirby says that the case has not been settled yet.