Anderson sex discrimination suit settled for $707,700

The federal complaint was scheduled to for trial Monday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Instead, it was settled for $707,700 on Friday after Anderson County commissioners voted 12-3 Thursday to approve the deal. The lawsuit originally was seeking $6.4 million.

Lynch fired four female employees hours after he took office in September 1998 as county executive, according to the lawsuit. The women were replaced by men at higher salaries, the suit alleged.

As part of the settlement, Lynch must send letters to the women noting their years of service and stating they each “performed well at the tasks assigned” to them, said David S. Wigler, an attorney for the women.

Efforts by The Knoxville News Sentinel to contact Lynch for comment Friday were unsuccessful.

Plaintiffs in the case were Suzanne King, former director of the county’s planning and zoning office; Karen J. Campbell, former county ambulance director; Shirley T. Wells, former county purchasing agent; and Mary Ruth Smith, a former clerk in the accounting department.

Smith later dropped out of the lawsuit.

Most of the money paid to the women will come from an insurance company that provides errors and omissions coverage for the county. Another $10,000 was approved by commissioners from a “retention” required under the insurance policy, while $7,700 was taken from a county fund to pay for terms not covered by the policy.