Anderson County's Circuit Court clerk is suing one of a handful of women who have accused him of harassment, alleging she has defamed him.
William Jones has filed suit in Circuit Court, for which he oversees clerical operations. No court date has been set in the case, and because of his position in the court system someone outside Anderson County almost certainly will have to handle it..
Jones names Heather Miller, a former Clinton Courier reporter, as the defendant. He's seeking compensatory damages of $1 million.
Most of Jones' accusers are current or former employees. Miller, however, is not.
She's the only woman among the group he's sued so far. It's possible more complaints will be filed, said David Stuart, his attorney.
"He's evaluating a lot of stuff right now," Stuart said Thursday. "It's certainly under consideration."
Miller could not be reached for comment.
Related: More complaints emerge about clerk
Jones alleges Miller defamed him in September as county human resources authorities were investigating complaints of improper conduct by Jones.
10News has obtained a copy of Miller's sworn statement, although her name has been redacted.
Jones alleges Miller falsely reported being approached by him in March 2016 at a ribbon-cutting for the Coal Creek Museum in Rocky Top. He alleges her telling of the story is untrue.
According to the former Anderson County Republican Party chair, who is seeking re-election in May, his reputation has suffered because of Miller.
In her sworn statement, Miller detailed running into Jones in March 2016. She said her boss at the paper was friends with Jones.
At the time, people in her office had been joking about a variety of chicken known as a "silkie hen" known for its fluffy plumage.
At the ribbon-cutting, Miller said, Jones told her, "Well, I have a silkie hen in my -- under my office desk that you could see," the statement reads.
"And I was like, 'What?' You know, I said, What? -- because I didn't know what he was talking about, like -- and he said, 'Well, do you want to see it?'
"And I said, 'No. No, I don't.' "
His remark struck her as odd, she said.
"I just remember being, like, 'What is this -- what are you trying to tell me? Is it what I think you're trying to tell me?' "
After that, Miller said she tried to avoid Jones. Her job took her to the courthouse in Clinton, but she said she tried not to be around the clerk because he made her feel "creeped out."
She told human resources officials she'd heard rumors about Jones: "That he was saying inappropriate things, the sexual -- sexually explicit things to those employees, female employees, and that he was, I think, trying to pressure them to have sex with him and that the ones, I guess, who didn't want to were transferred to another location, and basically intimidated them."
This week a Jones employee who is now on paid county leave filed suit in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, alleging sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. She alleges Jones, among other things, sent her sexually explicit SnapChat messages that referenced his penis.
Records obtained by 10News show other women have said he made unwanted comments about their bodies, touched them inappropriately and bullied them.
Jones told 10News he's the victim of a calculated political attack, carried out at least in part by his opponent, Rex Lynch, the former Anderson County mayor. Lynch tells 10News he's not been involved in the county's investigation into Jones.
Stuart said his client believes a "significantly large number" of people have coordinated to try to ensure Jones is not re-elected.
On Feb. 20, Anderson County Commission called for Jones to resign after hearing a presentation by interim human resources director Kim Whitaker. They also censured hm.
On Monday, Mayor Terry Frank is set to ask commission for a special counsel to look into numerous questions she said have been raised about the way the investigation was conducted, how policies were or were not followed and how information was released to the public.
Jones has filed an ethics complaint against County Commission. Frank is not named in that complaint.
