MS Coast sheriff fired her for all the wrong reasons, 18-year employee says in lawsuit
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An 18-year employee of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Teresa Osbourn, has filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Ricky Adam and Hancock County, claiming she was wrongly fired because she did not support Adam in his political races.
Osbourn filed her lawsuit in Hancock County Circuit Court, where she seeks unspecified damages to compensate her for the loss of her job, plus punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
Osbourn, represented by attorney Daniel Waide of Hattiesburg, claims that her constitutional rights to free speech and due process were violated when she was fired a week after Adam defeated three Republican challengers to win re-election in August 2023.
“Osbourn refused to support Adam, which she has every right to do,” the lawsuit says. “In response, Hancock County retaliated through Sheriff Adam and terminated Osbourn.”
Hostile work environment?
Osbourn said she worked for the sheriff’s department for 18 years and did an “excellent” job without “any work-related issues.”
Adam confirmed that Osbourn worked for the department as a clerk, first in the office and then at the jail. He referred other questions to county attorney Gary Yarborough.
Yarborough said a response to the lawsuit is being prepared and that he could not comment on ongoing litigation.
In addition to refusing to support Adam, Osbourn’s lawsuit says she also believes that a complaint about being mistreated as a female employee contributed to her firing.
She said that she was subjected to “inappropriate hugs” from Adam and unnamed deputies, and that some male employees had wanted to discuss their sex lives with her. She described the work environment as “hostile.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 12:48 PM.
