Knoxville Attorney Gary Prince was at the January 27, 2021 (I was present and posted a story here) Knox County Merit Council where the council voted to grant a hearing on a grievance from Knox Sheriffs employee Martha Dooley.
Another meeting was held on March 3, 2021 (I was present and posted a story here) to reset the hearing as some (as I was told) subpoena had not been served. Mr. Prince was present at the March 3rd meeting as was a Court Reporter that sat at the same table as Prince. Ms. Dooley’s legal counsel was there, present.
Prince with a Court Reporter to his left before Merit Council
Mr. Prince attempted to request that the grievance be dismissed on March 3, he was (after observing the hearing, in my opinion) was quite theatrical and was challenging one of the three council members. The council voted to continue with a hearing, which is scheduled for May 4 & 5, 2021.
Law Director Buuck informed me in an email last week that Prince was retained to have the hearing dismissed. As there is a hearing on May 4&5, I will leave that up to you the reader.
I had been told that Prince had been retained (late last year or earlier this year) for a complaint that never made it before the Merit Council. I requested the dollar amount paid to Prince on that grievance, Prince was paid $13,076.00 for research and presumably a report for a complaint that was never heard before the Council. It is not unusual for a complaint to settle before a hearing or an employee to withdraw a complaint.
Law Director David Buuck informed me that Prince was retained on the complaint that ultimately did not result in a hearing within that last several months because a Council member and the individual with the complaint indicated the law department was conflicted.
For example, a previous complaint with an off duty incident that occurred in Knoxville’s Old City with a couple Knox Sheriff employees and then ultimately involved higher brass after Sheriff Tom Spangler took office on September 1, 2018.
A simple google news search reveals that Attorney Prince was one of three attorneys representing Blount County in a Special Workers Compensation Appeals Panel here back on January 13, 2014.
Prince represented a Blount County deputy here back on February 6, 2016.
Prince has represented Blount County Sheriff Jim Berrong, Blount County and a Blount County deputy here back on September 17, 2017.
Those were the three that were easily found via a google news search.
There are TEN Attorneys according to the Knox County Law Department webpage, here. There are ELEVEN Support Staff according to this Law Department webpage, here.
There are THREE Attorneys that are employed by Knox County Sheriff Spangler, they are Mike Ruble, Carlton Bryant and former District Attorney General Randy Nichols.
