KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Anderson County and the former Anderson County Circuit Court clerk owe an ex-employee millions in a sexual harassment case stemming from his time in office.
An East Tennessee federal court jury on Thursday awarded Amy Ogle a total of $4 million in compensatory and punitive damages from former clerk William Jones, who served one four-year term before being voted out in 2018.
Jurors also awarded $1.95 million to Ogle to be paid by Anderson County in compensatory damages.
The trial took place this week in federal court in Knoxville.
Ogle filed suit in 2020.
WBIR reported extensively about employees' complaints against Jones during his time in office. He repeatedly made sexual suggestions to women workers, sent unwanted photos of himself, asked for inappropriate photos of women and talked about his favorite kinds of sex, county human resources complaints and lawsuits alleged.
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Ogle alleged she started working in Jones' office in November 2016.
During her time there she said he called her a "prissy bitch," made unwelcome comments about her breasts, asked if she would show him her breasts, insisted she give him 'booby' hugs and, among other things, implied she'd get a pay raise if she just gave him what he wanted.
The county launched an investigation in 2017.
Jones told WBIR at the time that he was the target of a political smear campaign.
At least eight women filed complaints against him, WBIR has previously reported.
In returning their verdict against Jones and the county, the jury found that both had subjected Ogle to a hostile work environment.
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U.S. District Judge Chuck Atchley noted that while the jury voted to give Ogle $650,000 in damages under the Tennessee Human Rights Act, the actual cap is $300,000. Any motion to amend the judgment would have to meet a federally prescribed deadline, the court wrote.
Efforts to reach Ogle's counsel were unsuccessful.