A Texas County court clerk is suing the Texas County prosecutor alleging he abused his office in attempt to quiet her and another county worker.
The allegations by Mildred S. Williams are containing in an eight-page petition filed July 10 in Texas County Circuit Court. It is the second lawsuit to hit Prosecutor Michael Anderson related to incidents that occurred in late 2005 and early 2006. Anderson and Texas County government are the subject of a January 2009 federal lawsuit by Monica Daniel Hutchison that includes many of the same charges.
Both Williams and Hutchison were sued in May 2006 by Anderson, who alleged the women had engaged in a smear campaign against him at the same time they were involved in coordinating a “swinger” style sex ring out of the offices of the prosecutor and associate circuit court. Several weeks later, Anderson dropped the lawsuit.
In Williams’ lawsuit, she seeks compensatory and punitive damages against Anderson on three counts: Malicious prosecution related to Anderson’s lawsuit, abuse of process and defamation. Williams is represented by Hutchison’s law firm, Steelman and Gaunt, Rolla.
Williams said Anderson’s lawsuit was “instituted for the unlawful and collateral purpose of quieting plaintiff from making any statements regarding defendant Michael R. Anderson, intimidating plaintiff, and to coerce plaintiff into silence regarding defendant’s unlawful employment discrimination against Monica Hutchison on the basis of sex.”
In the federal matter, Judge Richard E. Dorr, ruled July 16 that Texas County would remain a defendant amid a filing that it has a $2 million general liability insurance policy and called for the suit to move forward with discovery issues. In June, Dorr let stand the retaliation, malicious prosecution related to Anderson’s earlier suit, abuse of process and defamation claims. He dropped Hutchison’s claim of employment discrimination under the Missouri Human Rights Act, stating “neither plaintiff’s complaint nor the attachments thereto allege or prove she obtained a right to sue letter from the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.”
He said he would allow several of the charges leveled to move forward, but voiced skepticism about whether some of the claims would stand in court, including the federal discrimination claim and the timely filing of a defamation allegation. He also denied Hutchison’s right to punitive damages on two counts related to federal claims of discrimination and retaliation against the county.
Anderson has denied any of the charges.