Chancellor Pam Fleenor has affirmed a $828,700 judgment on behalf of 25 long-time senior police officers against the city of Chattanooga.
In a 39-page opinion, she denied city requests either for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict or for a new trial.
Attorney Janie Parks Varnell said, "Today, the Chancellor put an end to the city’s latest attempt to avoid paying this jury verdict. What once started as a $562,000 jury verdict over a year ago has now increased to $828,700 because the city refuses to acknowledge a jury’s unanimous finding that the city violated their own City Code and breached a contract with these officers.
"Chancellor Fleenor, in her order, highlights the long and tumultuous road these supervising officers endured. Evidence at trial showed that high-ranking city officials told these plaintiffs that 'litigation is the cost of doing business.' Chancellor Fleenor discusses that evidence writing,'The jury, through its verdict, handed the city its bill for its cost of doing business that way.' ”
Attorney Bryan Hoss said, "The city now has 30 days to appeal to the Tennessee Court of Appeals. The city has a choice. They can pay these officers what is owed to them or they can continue to refuse which is going to cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars more. The city has lost at every stage. I can’t imagine that they would drag this out even further.”
Chancellor Fleenor said in the order, "Police officers are unique employees who put their lives in harm’s way on a daily basis to ensure Chattanooga is a safe place for people to live, work, and visit. It would be disingenuous to assume that the policy of Chattanooga is any other than to keep these vital employees incentivized by a fair pay structure.”
Attorney Lee Davis said, "I applaud the Court for recognizing not only the lifetime commitment these senior Chattanooga Police Officers provide our city, but also their continued efforts to achieve fair pay within the Chattanooga Police Department."
Click here to read the opinion.