Lawsuit claims South Fulton threatened whistleblowers investigating former narcotics commander

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - Two whistleblowers are suing the City of South Fulton and the South Fulton Police Department over what they call a "disturbing pattern of intimidation, retaliation, and corruption" in the city's government.

"There were a number of serious allegations that this officer had engaged in misconduct…that this officer had violated various departmental guidelines," Attorney Artur Davis said.

The lawsuit, filed by South Fulton's former Human Relations Director Tanesha Graham and former homicide detective Joseph King, says that the pair were retaliated against and forced to work in a hostile work environment after trying to bring to light violations by the head of the police department's narcotics unit.

"Several officers, in fact, as many as 12 officers were brave enough to come forward about the misconduct in the narcotics unit," Davis explained.  

In July 2022, Lt. Shannon McKesey resigned her post two days after Police Chief Keith Meadows recommended her termination.

Davis told FOX 5 while many of those officers were afraid to speak up, his clients were forced to leave their jobs after they did.

At the time, officials say they were looking into allegations that McKesey created a hostile work environment, including that she used alcohol on the job, and in her post counteracting the illegal drug trade, there were some irregularities in the counting of confiscated cash.

The Smyrna Police Department, which was requested to investigate by the city, found evidence to support all three allegations, according to sources.

"It was disheartening because I’ve known this employee for about 20 years and so, it’s hard to take because you’ve known them for so long and you’ve had relationship with people," Chief Meadows said at the time of his decision to end McKesey's employment.

However, in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, King and Graham claim that their attempts to bring the infractions and violations to light were met with resistance and hostility from those in power.

Lt. Shannon McKesey resigned from her position as the South Fulton narcotics commander after an investigation. (City of South Fulton)

According to the lawsuit, Graham alleges that she was "repeatedly threatened" by South Fulton City Manager Tanesha Saddler-Jones, Meadows and Councilwoman Helen Willis when she pushed for an independent investigation into McKesey.

During one meeting, the lawsuit claims Meadows "lost his composure, raising his voice to the point of screaming, and shoving several documents forcibly toward Ms. Graham."

Graham later claims she was falsely accused of being verbally abusive to an employee, which was later found to be groundless.

"That same day, on May 2, 2022, Ms. Saddler-Jones disclosed to Ms.Graham that there was internal pressure from political forces in South Fulton to terminate Ms. Graham," the lawsuit says.

"South Fulton chose to protect corruption rather than punish it," Lawyer Artur Davis said in a statement. "This lawsuit is a reminder that the failure to protect whistleblowers is wrong morally and legally."

King alleges that he became a target after he was interviewed as part of the investigation into McKesey, saying he was notified by the department two days after he was interviewed that they were investigating a tip he faked a COVID vaccination card, a claim that he proved was not true.

The lawsuit claims the retaliation continued even after leaving the department and joining the Fulton County District Attorney's Office.

"Within his first couple of weeks working at the District Attorney's Office, Officer King learned from his new supervisor that Chief Meadows and other unidentified persons within SFPD were actively disseminating false and derogatory information about Officer King to the DA’s office in a blatant attempt to get him fired," the lawsuit alleges.

King also claims that he began receiving unsolicited calls from McKesey that included "veiled threats."

"At the end of the day, these officials were going to do everything they could to protect Lt. McKesey and hide her misconduct no matter who they hurt," Lizana said. "We can’t let them get away with that because, if we do, then none of us are safe."

"When employees are brave enough to take a stance against wrongdoing, they shouldn’t be penalized…they shouldn’t become the subject of bogus complaints," Davis said.

The pair is seeking damages including lost wages, back pay, and general compensatory damages.

McKesey remains under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

You can read the full lawsuit below.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the city of South Fulton released a statement in response to the lawsuit which reads:

"The city is aware of the lawsuit filed today. We remain confident in the findings of the independent investigation conducted by the employment discrimination law firm of Hoffer and Webb, which did not substantiate allegations of city policy or state law violations. Due to the pending litigation, we cannot comment further at this time."

Davis said they’re in the process of serving the city with that lawsuit, which should happen in the next few days. From there, they’ll have 21 days to answer the complaint.