Special judge appointed in ouster suit

A special judge has been appointed to hear the ouster suit filed against the Anderson County law director in May, and hearing dates will be discussed with attorneys in the case during an August 19 telephone conference, officials said.

Senior Judge Don R. Ash of Murfreesboro was appointed to hear the case by Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade, said Michele Wojciechowski, communications director for the Tennessee State Courts.

Ash is a former judge in Rutherford County, and he is assigned to cases throughout the state that need a special judge.

The office of the Anderson County Clerk and Master said the telephone conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. August 19. During that conference, Ash will give attorneys dates to schedule hearings.

The ouster suit against Law Director Jay Yeager was filed in Anderson County Chancery Court by a group of 22 residents in May. It originally included three grounds for ouster but has since been amended to include 16 arguments for ouster.

Yeager filed a motion to dismiss on July 11. He argued that the ouster statute does not apply to the law director position, but even if it did, the petitioners have not presented legitimate grounds for ouster.

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