Jackson rejects offer in ex-warden's lawsuit

JEFFERSON - Jackson County commissioners Monday declined to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by former Jackson County Correctional Institute warden Vickie Underwood last December.

Former interim Jackson County manager Leonard Myers fired Underwood in 2007 after a state Department of Corrections investigation found that she misused inmate labor and mismanaged the institute.

Afterward, Underwood sued the county for $2 million, alleging that county officials denied her promotion and harassed her because she is a woman.

She since has offered to settle with the county for $465,000, said Julius Hulsey, an attorney for Jackson County. But commissioners voted unanimously Monday to reject the offer.

"The (Association County Commissioners of Georgia) attorney handling this case recommends that you not accept the offer," Hulsey told commissioners, "and I recommend that you not accept the offer. The offer was made, and we needed to make you aware of it."

Underwood served as warden from 2001 to 2007 and worked as a sheriff's department investigator before that.

Underwood's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, claims she was fired because of a commission vendetta. She describes several conversations in which officials questioned her ability to perform her jobs as a warden and a sheriff's investigator because she is a woman. She also made several personal allegations about Jackson County elected officials and their families.

Many of the complaints listed in the lawsuit describe alleged misdeeds of county officials - some having little or nothing to do with her claims of discrimination.

Underwood was fired after an internal investigation by the corrections department found she had used inmates to help move her furniture, had prison employees wait for a satellite TV serviceman at her house while they were on the clock and had one inmate make furniture for her and her family.

The Jackson County Correctional Institute is administered by Jackson County, but houses inmates for the corrections department. The inmates are considered minimum-security detainees and often perform building maintenance, construction and other tasks throughout the county.

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Home Site Map Subscribe to our Monthly Email Newsletter	Rutherford County Jackson rejects offer in ex-warden's lawsuit JEFFERSON - Jackson County commissioners Monday declined to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by former Jackson County Correctional Institute warden Vickie Underwood last December. Former interim Jackson County manager Leonard Myers fired Underwood in 2007 after a state Department of Corrections investigation found that she misused inmate labor and mismanaged the institute. Afterward, Underwood sued the county for $2 million, alleging that county officials denied her promotion and harassed her because she is a woman. She since has offered to settle with the county for $465,000, said Julius Hulsey, an attorney for Jackson County. But commissioners voted unanimously Monday to reject the offer. "The (Association County Commissioners of Georgia) attorney handling this case recommends that you not accept the offer," Hulsey told commissioners, "and I recommend that you not accept the offer. The offer was made, and we needed to make you aware of it." Underwood served as warden from 2001 to 2007 and worked as a sheriff's department investigator before that. Underwood's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, claims she was fired because of a commission vendetta. She describes several conversations in which officials questioned her ability to perform her jobs as a warden and a sheriff's investigator because she is a woman. She also made several personal allegations about Jackson County elected officials and their families. Many of the complaints listed in the lawsuit describe alleged misdeeds of county officials - some having little or nothing to do with her claims of discrimination. Underwood was fired after an internal investigation by the corrections department found she had used inmates to help move her furniture, had prison employees wait for a satellite TV serviceman at her house while they were on the clock and had one inmate make furniture for her and her family. The Jackson County Correctional Institute is administered by Jackson County, but houses inmates for the corrections department. The inmates are considered minimum-security detainees and often perform building maintenance, construction and other tasks throughout the county. Continue to Athens Banner-Herald - Jackson rejects offer in ex-warden's lawsuit © 2009 http://onlineathens.com - Athens Banner-Herald - All rights reserved. Rate This Article: Comment on "Jackson rejects offer in ex-warden's lawsuit" Your Name Your Comments Verification Code: RTZGKB Enter Code: Three indicted in fall beating Jackson County JEFFERSON - Three Jackson County men face aggravated assault and kidnapping charges in connection to the October beating of an Athens man who they allegedly knocked unconscious, wrapped in a rug and dumped in a South Jackson County neighborhood. Preview: Jackson County at Oconee County When and where: 7:30 p.m. tonight at Warrior Stadium Jackson County juggling trio at quarterback position JEFFERSON - It might not be perfect, but Jackson County coach Billy Kirk has gone to the Cerberus approach to quarterbacking - three heads are better than one. Residents like-minded on Jackson County's future COMMERCE - With about 60,000 residents spread out over 342 square miles, creating a unified vision for Jackson County's future is complicated. Little splash for SPLOST in Jackson County Jackson County and its nine city governments are finalizing the list of projects to give voters before they go to the polls Nov. 2 to renew the county's 1 percent sales tax.