New Oklahoma County Clerk David Hooten accused of wrongful terminations
The new Oklahoma County clerk is being accused of firing employees in his first month in office for political reasons in violation of their constitutional rights.
County Clerk David Hooten declined to comment.
Five former deputy county clerks filed wrongful termination claims against the county last week. In their tort claims, they complain Hooten retaliated against them for supporting their former boss, Carolynn Caudill, in her failed re-election effort last year.
The five are Angela Cramer, Donella Epps, Donna Hanson, Sherry Owens and Phillip Malone. All were identified in the claims as volunteers in Caudill's 2016 campaign. They said their conduct is protected by their constitutional rights to free speech.
"It goes against the very fiber of what this country was founded on — the First Amendment," their attorney, Rand C. Eddy, said of the terminations.
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