Police Captain Sues Newspaper Publisher

A Manchester Police captain has filed a lawsuit in Coffee County Circuit Court against the publisher of a local newspaper. A suit was filed by Wilma Thomas against Charles “Chip” Ramsey and his wife, Beth Ramsey, alleging that an article was published in the Saturday Independent stating that Thomas was reprimanded in the 1990s by a former city administrator for using inmates for personal chores, and that she was suspended from the police department for two weeks. Thomas alleges that the article was false and defamatory and placed her in a false light. The suit alleges that Ramsey had knowledge that the statement was false. Thomas also alleges that she has suffered damages in the form of impairment of her reputation and standing as well as humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional distress. She is asking for judgment to be issued against the Ramsey’s for compensatory and punitive damages as determined by a jury. Murfreesboro attorney Jerry Farmer represents Thomas. This is only one side of the legal issue.