Clayton judge allows lawsuit against Scotts to continue

By Jeffry Scott

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Clayton County judge said Tuesday that a lawsuit filed against the husband and wife team running for the same county commission seat, Lee Scott and former Clayton District Attorney Jewel Scott, could move forward.

The suit was filed two years ago by Earl Randall, who claims he was illegally fired from the DA’s office by Jewel Scott because Randall was then running against Lee Scott for the office of County Commission chairman, which both lost to Eldrin Bell.

At one point the suit was dismissed. Two weeks ago a federal judge revived it. Lee Scott, who requested the hearing to determine if he had been legally served with lawsuit papers, did not appear in court. But Jewel Scott testified for about an hour in the two-hour-long hearing.

Jewel Scott is running in the primaries as a Democrat for District 4 County Commission and will be on the July 20 ballot. Lee Scott is running unopposed as a Republican and is already on the November ballot.