Knox Co. Sheriff's employees drop lawsuit over pension dispute

<A handful of Knox County Sheriff's Office employees have dropped their lawsuit against the county over a pension dispute. <br /><br />The four women sued the county and pension board, asking to be added to the Uniformed Officers Pension Plan. <br /><br />The four work on the executive staff, but asked to be eligible for the pension plan which provides retirement income benefits for eligible officers of the Knox County Sheriff's Office. <br /><br />They say they are withdrawing their lawsuit and will wait until after the November elections to decide any further action. <br /><br /><strong>Previous story</strong>Attorneys for Knox County's Pension Board have asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by four Knox County Sheriff's Office employees, seeking to be added to the county's pension plan. Martha Dooley, Ashley Haynes, Deborah Hodges, and Allison Rogers <a href="http://www.wbir.com/rss/article/198913/2/Four-KCSO-employees-sue-to-receive-pension-benefits" target="_blank"><strong>sued the county and the pension board</strong></a>, seeking to be added to the Uniformed Officers Pension Plan. All four are members of the office's executive staff. They asked the court to find they are considered officers, and thus eligible for the pension plan. Court documents filed earlier this month by the county's attorneys argue that the women waited too long to appeal the denial of their initial request to be added to the plan. <br />They say the employees had 60 days to appeal under state law, but they waited 218 days to file their complaint. The voter approved pension plan provides retirement income benefits for eligible officers of the Knox County Sheriff's Office. <br />It's been a hot topic in recent months, as the cost of sustaining the plan continues to grow more than expected. <