By Ray King
Although he is no longer a member of the Jefferson County Quorum, Lloyd Franklin Jr. is still striking out at some members of the County’s legislative body.
On Monday, Franklin electronically filed a lawsuit against five Justices of the Peace as well as unnamed other individuals. His term as a member of the Quorum Court ended at midnight Tuesday.
Named in the lawsuit were Ted Harden, Roy Agee, Patricia Royal Johnson, Conley Byrd and Danny Holcomb who were sued in their individual and official capacity.
Franklin alleged in the suit that the five violated the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act by holding what he termed an illegal executive session on Feb. 28, 2023.
According to the lawsuit, the five, along with three others, Rosetta Givens, Stanley James and Brian Donald participated in the meeting which was termed a grievance hearing for a county employee.
Franklin claimed he arrived at the meeting and took a seat but was told the meeting was an executive session and he was told to leave. He said he refused, and the meeting was moved from the Quorum Courtroom to the office of County Judge Gerald Robinson and he was barred from entering.
Further in the lawsuit he identified the county employee as a sheriff’s department employee and said Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr., who held the top administrative position relative to the grievance was not present, nor were any other representatives of the sheriff’s department.
After the executive session, the defendants did not reconvene in public to vote on or announce any decision made during the meeting, making the entire session illegal.
Franklin claimed he suffered harm including the denial of his statutory rights and the undermining of transparency in government.
He is seeking damages for the FOIA violation, a court order prohibiting the defendants from convening or participating in further meetings, a formal acknowledgement of wrong doing and a public apology to him and the citizens of Jefferson County.
