Former dispatcher sues Whitley County
Claims firing was 'political retaliation'

CORBIN — Corbin's News Journal reported that a former Whitley County 911 dispatcher, who claims she was fired because she didn't support the current judge-executive when he ran for office, is suing the county for $4 million.

In the article, reporter Mark White wrote that Deborah Potter Goodin has filed suit against Judge-Executive Mike Patrick and the fiscal court in U.S. District Court on Aug. 2 in London.

"It's your very common political retaliation case where she was fired because she supported the wrong candidate," said Ned Pillersdorf, Goodin's attorney.

According to the lawsuit, Goodin alleges that her civil rights were violated when she was terminated without due process and for exercising her rights to free speech and association.

Goodin maintains in her lawsuit that she was the only 911 employee who supported the re-election of former judge-executive Leroy Gilbert, who Patrick defeated in the November 1998 General Election.

The lawsuit alleges that last December, Patrick advised Gilbert that since Goodin campaigned for Gilbert in a "heavy" manner, he would not keep her or anyone that "didn't support him" in the past election, the lawsuit alleged.

"The plaintiff was replaced by a political supporter of the defendant Patrick who was not qualified for the plaintiff's position by virtue of her not being a certified emergency technician," the lawsuit alleged. "The defendants practice of discharging political opponent(s), and rewarding a political supporter is an unconstitutional custom or practice."

According to the lawsuit, Goodin worked for the county from October 1988 until her termination in March, and that for the past three years she had been employed as 911 coordinator and address coordinator and TAC officer for the fiscal court.

The lawsuit asks for reinstatement with restoration of all lost benefits and punitive damages in the amount of $4 million.

Patrick declined to comment Monday afternoon saying that the case is pending litigation.

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