Men Win Lawsuit Against Former Employer

Four men from Grundy County have won a lawsuit against their former boss. Dennis Byers, Greg Smartt, Leslie Brent King, and Clarence T. Birdwell, plaintiffs in a wrongful firing lawsuit against Grundy County Road Supervisor Dwayne “Turkey” Hargis, were victorious in their case. The men, employees of the Grundy County Highway Department at the time of their firing, will receive $200,000 in damages based on the humiliation and embarrassment incurred as a result of the actions of Turkey Hargis.
Byers, King, and Birdwell were fired by Hargis for not supporting him in the May 6 county election. When they arrived at work on May 7, 2104, the morning after the election, Hargis told them they no longer had jobs with the department. Smartt had left his position several months earlier after Hargis accused him of “electioneering” for another candidate.