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NATCHEZ — Adams County Justice Court Clerk Verna Johnson has filed a lawsuit against Justice Court Judge Audrey Minor.

The lawsuit, filed in Adams County Circuit Court on Aug. 16 by attorney William Kellum of Kellum Law Firm in Jackson, alleges Minor made false and defamatory remarks about Johnson in an Adams County Board of Supervisors meeting on March 18.

Johnson’s lawsuit claims Minor allegedly reported to the Board of Supervisors that Johnson had accepted bribes in return for deleting criminal cases.

Johnson claims in her lawsuit that Minor’s remarks portrayed her in a false light and caused her severe emotional distress as well as irreparably injured her professional reputation.

When contacted on Wednesday, Minor said she had not been served with the lawsuit and didn’t think it should be reported in the newspaper.

“That is nobody’s business,” Minor said. All lawsuits filed in Circuit Court are public records.

The lawsuit claims Minor’s remarks are part of the public record. Johnson’s lawsuit claims Minor’s alleged statements were “widely disseminated and not privileged in any manner.”

However, the minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting on March 18 do not mention Minor as having taken part in the public portion of the meeting or in an executive session supervisors held to discuss personnel issues.

The minutes reflect that all supervisors except District 2’s Kevin Wilson voted to place Johnson on a 90-day performance improvement plan. Wilson was absent from the meeting. According to the minutes, the Performance Improvement Plan was to be communicated to Johnson by county administrator Stephanie Washington and county attorney Scott Slover, and Washington would supervise it.

In a text message sent on Wednesday, Minor said she only speaks to the Board of Supervisors in executive session once a year.

“Be sure to check the Chancery Clerk’s office for the supposed documentation of my comments from the executive session,” Minor wrote. “They don’t have any documentation.”

Johnson has worked for the county in Justice Court since 2010. Minor, who was the Justice Court Clerk at the time, hired her.

The Board of Supervisors hired Johnson as Justice Court Clerk when Minor was elected Justice Court Judge and took office in January 2020.