The Trigg County Fiscal Court brought an end to a lawsuit Tuesday night, when it came out of executive session and voted 5-2 for a settlement with former Trigg County Deputy Sheriff David Tomlinson.
In a letter from the law offices of Harold M. Johns of Elkton to Tomlinson’s lawyer, David Fuller of Louisville, Trigg County Judge-Executive Hollis Alexander and his court were notified that Tomlinson was prepared to accept $3,000 as a full and final settlement of all claims, and to execute a general release.
Dissenters included District 1 magistrate Mike Wright and District 5 magistrate Alana Baker-Dunn, while District 5 magistrate Cameron Sumner seconded the motion to accept the settlement “under counsel and advisement.”
In late February, Tomlinson filed a lawsuit with the Paducah Division of U.S. Federal Court, following a stint serving as the K-9 handler for the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office from March 1, 2019, to September 1, 2020.
In the suit, Tomlinson claimed he took a police K-9 home each day and should’ve been compensated for the dog’s at-home training, grooming, feeding and exercise — as well as the extra cleaning of the K-9 pen and the K-9’s overall care. The suit claimed unpaid overtime amounting to 546 hours and full violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Tomlinson apparently met with former Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes on two occasions to discuss the overtime pay and due recompense, but to no avail.
The suit did not list a sum, but unpaid overtime would’ve ranged between $9,000 and $15,000.
Both Tomlinson and the K-9 were not retained when Aaron Acree was appointed Sheriff on September 1, 2020.
