Alabama Supreme Court supports Chilton school staff in overpayment lawsuit
The Alabama Supreme Court has rejected former Chilton County Superintendent Jason Griffin’s effort to overturn a lawsuit by two school employees who were ordered to pay back tens of thousands of dollars in salary overpayments.
The two employees – career tech teacher Shellie Smith and Verbena High School cafeteria manager Christie Payne – initially filed a lawsuit against Griffin in May after receiving letters demanding $33,000 of repayment from Smith and $23,000 from Payne.
In initial notices from the school district to Smith and Payne, the district said their salaries had been incorrectly calculated, and thus the employees were paid thousands of dollars for years of experience they didn’t have.
After six years, an Alabama school district discovered they overpaid a cafeteria manager by more than $23,000, and are now demanding the employee return the money.
The Alabama Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling comes after Chilton County courts denied Griffin’s attempt to dismiss the case. The employees’ lawsuit now will continue through the discovery phase leading up to trial.
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The Alabama Education Association, the organization providing legal assistance to Smith and Payne, also is investigating potential action on behalf of other employees in Chilton County who have had their pay docked for an alleged overpayment or underpayment.
“It is apparent that the financial office of the Chilton County School System has been and continues to experience mismanagement of the public money provided to it by the taxpayers in Chilton County and the state of Alabama,” the organization said in a news release.
During a May press conference, Payne told reporters she was shocked by the demand letter.
“It has been very difficult,” Payne said. “I couldn’t tell you how many afternoons and nights that I’ve just cried and been very upset.”
Smith, who has been with the district 19 years, also expressed a similar sentiment.
“I didn’t take any money,” she said. “I have always thought that the money that I had been paid was what I was supposed to be paid.”
“When I got [the letter], I just asked why? Why me?”
In 2022, Corey Clements was elected superintendent of the county school system to replace Griffin.