Another Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Embattled Texas County Prosecutor

November 5, 2011 Local News No comments

Another Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Embattled Texas County Prosecutor

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By Kathee Baird

Another civil lawsuit has been filed against sitting Texas County prosecutor Mike Anderson.
The former chief of police in Licking, Danny McNew, filed a defamation-negligence, defamation-false statements and invasion of privacy suit against Anderson in Cole County Circuit Court in August. The case was moved on a change of venue to Greene County on October 31st.
McNew alleges that Anderson contacted the attorney generals office and stated “that possible collusion between my former staff member and officer McNew may have resulted in a deliberate effort to thwart the investigation, or at least that their actions may give the appearance of a cover up,” and other malicious statements about him regarding a March 2005 police pursuit by McNew that led to the death of thirty six year-old Ronald Sullins to the AG’s office.[adsenseyu1]

Mc New’s attorney, Thomas Hearne of Springfield, says Anderson failed to conduct a full investigation concerning the statements, which have hampered his client’s ability to earn a livelihood and caused him humiliation and embarrassment.

This comes on the heels of Anderson being ordered to pay Mildred “Millie” Williams $1 Million dollars for malicious prosecution in September.

Williams brought the lawsuit against Anderson after he began a smear campaign against her after she allegedly witnessed him sexually harassing an employee of his office. She claims Anderson attempted to keep her from testifying against him by intimidation or coercion.

Mildred “Millie” Williams testifies during civil trial in Marshfield

Anderson had filed a lawsuit in 2006 against Williams and Monica Daniel-Hutchison claiming the women used their positions to do favors for friends, were involved in running a swingers sex ring out of the Texas County courthouse and were involved in a conspiracy to deprive him of serving in public office. Anderson dropped the lawsuit about six weeks later, but not before he had alerted local media outlets to the pending litigation via press release/s.

The Webster County jury, where the case was moved on a change of venue, awarded Williams $500,000 in actual damages and $500,000 in punitive damages in her malicious prosecution suit against Anderson. Daniels-Hutchison settled for an undisclosed amount of money earlier.

An insurance company that carries the rider for Texas County has asked that McNew’s case be dismissed because Anderson, as prosecuting attorney, has sovereign immunity because he was acting in his official capacity.

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