A jury trial date has been set in federal court in the case of a former Alexandria city employee against the city and Mayor Beth Tripp.
(Read original story at link below)
Former Alexandria City Employee Files Federal lawsuit Against Mayor Beth Tripp And City
Patricia Houser, a former town recorder, court clerk, tax collector, and backup water clerk, claims she was wrongfully terminated last fall and has sued the City of Alexandria and Mayor Tripp in her individual and official capacities for deprivation of due process under the 14th amendment and for slander, defamation, and defamation by implication, in violation of state law.
Motions for and against dismissal of the case have been filed by attorneys.
According to a court filing last month, “This case is set for a jury trial on October 20, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse, 9 East Broad Street, 2nd Floor, Cookeville, TN. Counsel for the parties shall appear for a pretrial conference in this Court on October 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in Courtroom 5D, at the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse, 719 Church Street, Nashville, TN. All lawyers who will participate in the trial must attend the pretrial conference. If a settlement is reached before two business days of trial the cost of summoning the jury may be assessed against the parties”.
Houser is seeking a jury trial; reinstatement to her position; compensatory and punitive damages; payment of lost wages and benefits; attorney’s fees, etc.
She is represented by the Nashville law firm of Biesecker, Dutkanych & Macer, LLC. The attorney for the mayor and town is A. Ryan Simmons of the Brentwood law firm of Farrar/Bates/Berexa.