A hearing for former Hall County employee Michelle Daniel’s civil suit against former Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard for retaliation was Friday.
The motion was to dismiss the civil complaints against Hall County and Stephanie Woodard under the Georgia Whistleblower Act (GWA).
This is due to the defense’s argument that Hall County can not be held liable for actions taken by an elected official.
“The county can’t take any actions and it can’t investigate something in which they can not act upon,” the defense’s counsel said.
Daniel’s counsel, Joey Homans, argued that Hall County is a public employer in this scenario.
“Hall County certainly has jurisdiction over funds they receive that they provide and they approve for the Solicitor General,” Homans said. “So this effort to divorce Hall County from the Solicitor General in all circumstances fails.”
The decision? Well, there was not one. At least not today, as Douglas County Judge David Emerson said there would be a ruling promptly, but he said it would probably be after Thanksgiving.
Another thing the defense wants is to remove Woodard, as she is not in the official capacity of Solicitor General any more. In her place, they want the complaints to be brought against Stephanie Thompson, the current acting Solicitor General.
This civil suit is still in the discovery phase, with the parties still getting depositions and evidence together.
Homans said he needs depositions from some employees in the solicitor’s office, which could take a while with their schedule.
Emerson predicted a jury trial would probably start at some time in the middle of next year.
