GREENEVILLE — United States District Judge Jill E. McCook issued an order in the Sean Williams-related “Jane Does†federal suit, denying the plaintiffs in their bid to force officers to provide years of financial, property and tax records.
The ruling comes nearly two weeks after attorneys from both sides in the case made their respective arguments for and against the surrendering of such records at an in-person hearing in Knoxville.
McCook's order was filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.
Former ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Police Chief Karl Turner, as well as officers Jeff Legault and Toma Sparks, as well as the city itself, are defendants in the lawsuit accusing officers with the police department of taking bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye toward alleged serial rapist Williams' purported crimes.
All current and former defendants have denied wrongdoing.
McCook's ruling did order Sparks to surrender bank statements from 2018 to the present showing the deposits and total monthly withdrawals; the defense already agreed to produce these records, however.
Defense attorneys argued the records were overbroad and irrelevant, describing the plaintiff attorneys' efforts to obtain such records as a “fishing expedition.†Plaintiff attorneys argued such records would help prove their case.
Some of the records in question pertained to individuals who were previously dismissed from the lawsuit, including ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Police Department Officer Justin Jenkins and former Capt. Kevin Peters. Some of the records being sought after date as far back as 10 years.
In her ruling, McCook wrote that the records requests for Jenkins and Peters were irrelevant because they are no longer defendants. Plaintiff attorneys suggested they might attempt to bring Jenkins and Peters back into the lawsuit as defendants during the previous hearing in Knoxville.
McCook also wrote that the plaintiffs did not establish how the records of the current defendants would be specifically relevant to their case.
The “Jane Does†trial is currently set for April 2025.
