Mississippi Court Lets Technician’s 2 Retaliation Claims Proceed Against Leflore County
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg Law · Jul 30
Mississippi Court Lets Technician’s 2 Retaliation Claims Proceed Against Leflore County
1 articles · Updated · Bloomberg Law · Jul 30
Summary
A Mississippi federal judge denied Leflore County’s bid for judgment on the pleadings, allowing a central maintenance technician’s First Amendment retaliation and malicious interference claims to move forward.
The technician alleges county officials fired him over social media posts criticizing their performance, and the court found he plausibly pleaded retaliation rather than termination for workplace misconduct.
The surviving federal claim was brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, keeping the dispute centered on whether the firing unlawfully punished protected speech.
The ruling does not decide liability, but it preserves the employee’s case for further litigation against the county.