Information from WYSH Radio

A former employee of the Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office has filed an age discrimination lawsuit in Circuit Court against Court Clerk William Jones and the county.

Helen Forrester, 69, was fired on September 10, 2014, and according to the lawsuit filed Monday, after 24 years in the office. Forrester’s lawsuit claims that she was fired so that Jones could replace her with someone younger despite her “good, if not excellent” work and job performance evaluations.

The lawsuit also states that Forrester believed that she had an “expressed and/or implied contract of continuous employment (with the county), and otherwise maintained the right not to have her employment terminated without cause.”

The lawsuit seeks $300,000 in compensatory damages from the county for her “injuries, including a loss of salary, future earnings, and humiliation and embarrassment” caused by the defendant, and $300,000 in treble damages against Jones for “interference with (Forrester’s) employment relationship with Anderson County government” as well as court costs and a jury trial.