New pre-trial ruling in Stokes v. Oconee et al
“Defendant Oconee County’s motion for summary judgment is denied” is the decision of a 10th circuit judge. And it means that, after seven years and several pre-trial motions, the wrongful termination claim of a former county department head is still alive. Judge McIntosh’s ruling, filed Friday in the Common Pleas Court, follows an April 4 motion by an attorney for Oconee County to throw out the last remaining allegation of David Stokes, former building official, against his former employer. Stokes lost his job as building official in 2017 after, it’s alleged, Stokes balked at granting then county councilwoman Edda Cammick a building permit for a carport on her property. The one last legal ground in the case is the plaintiff’s allegation of wrongful termination. Earlier Stokes’ companion allegation of slander was dismissed.