A former Bedford County employee has appealed her recently dismissed federal civil lawsuit to the United States Court of Appeals.
In a report in the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, two weeks ago, District Court Judge Harry S. Mattice dismissed Cynthia L. Ray’s suit against the county and trustee Tonya Davis filed in late 2010, claiming she had been fired for openly supporting Davis’ opponent during that year’s election.
She claims Davis and the county violated her 1st and 14th Amendment rights, state rights, fired her in retaliation for exercising her constitutional rights, and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.
Mattice dismissed the federal part of the suit “with prejudice,” meaning that it could not be refiled in federal court, also dismissing “without prejudice” the state claims in the case. But now Davis has appealed the matter to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.