Walker County Special Counsel Stuart James said he hopes to continue working with the incoming Shannon Whitfield administration regarding the issues with Erlanger Health System.
He said, “I have been privileged to represent the citizens of Walker County, Ga., in the issues arising from the Hutcheson matter over the past year. It’s been an honor to work with many fine lawyers in getting the hospital sold and reopened. I’ve also worked diligently to make sure the law of Georgia is applied to the issues surrounding the claimed liability of Walker County to Erlanger. I firmly believe the law is on the side of the citizens of Walker County. The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, thankfully, have also joined in on our efforts to enforce the law of Georgia in the appeal currently pending in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. I am humbled and honored that ACCG joined the citizens of Walker County in enforcing their legal rights.”
He offered his thanks to outgoing Commissioner Bebe Heiskell and County Attorney Don Oliver. “When I was retained to represent the citizens of Walker County, my directive from Commissioner Heiskell and Attorney Oliver was to do all I could to be effective in litigating the issues faced by the County and to make sure that the laws of the state were appropriately applied. I’d like to thank them for their trust in my service and look forward to meeting with Commissioner-Elect Whitfield to share information and answer any questions he may have.”
Attorney James stated that with the appeal process ongoing, he "remains optimistic that the laws of Georgia will be fairly applied to the people of Walker County."
He said, “At the end of this situation, the most important thing is to make sure the citizens of Walker County have been treated fairly and can put this dark period behind them. I’m optimistic that this will happen early in Commissioner-Elect Whitfield’s tenure in office. Nothing would please me more.”