Three Pine Bluff men have sued Jefferson County Assessor Gloria Tillman and her office for nepotism and malfeasance in connection with the hiring of her daughter Morgan and in dispute of payments to former assessor Yvonne Humphrey, who retired from another position in Tillman’s office last year.
Little Rock attorney Jay Paul Coleman filed a lawsuit Monday in the Civil Division of the 11th West Circuit Court on behalf of Garland Trice, Mark Cannon and Clayron Raspberry. The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial and “actual, consequential and punitive damages resulting from acts of nepotism and malfeasance,” and that Gloria Tillman be removed from office “due to her bad acts” and Morgan Tillman be removed from assessor’s office. They also request Humphrey pay back the county for the hours she was paid but did not save while on leave from work.
The plaintiffs accuse Tillman and her office of nepotism by hiring Morgan Tillman to work in her office in violation of a 2003 ordinance. They also say Tillman and her office “did nothing to prevent the continuous violation.”
The assessor’s office is also accused of paying Humphrey for hours she did not work, and that the office neither required Humphrey use the Family Medical Leave Act nor paid time off.
It further states Humphrey took off from the assessor’s office for several weeks using “sick time” she did not have, and that Tillman’s office neither made a report to the county clerk explaining Humphrey was not at work nor made a report stating how much time off Humphrey had “in her possession to use.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
County Attorney Terry Wynne informed Morgan Tillman of an apparent violation in a March 28, 2024, letter. Robinson sent a letter to Gloria Tillman dated April 2, 2024, stating she is “participating in nepotism due to her daughter being an employee of Assessor.”
Gloria Tillman, who won election in 2022, is charged with one count of nepotism. The count explains:
“Because no one at (Assessor’s) would terminate Morgan, Morgan is still receiving payments for being employed at (Assessor) — payments she is receiving due to the illicit acts of (Assessor) and Tillman.”
Under the other count of malfeasance, Gloria Tillman is accused of knowing she was committing misconduct when hiring Morgan Tillman to work in her office and paying Humphrey for time off she did not have.
“To date, nothing has been put in place to orchestrate how Yvonne Humphrey will pay to Jefferson County the thousands of dollars she was paid using paid time off hours she did not have,” the lawsuit reads.
Gloria Tillman texted Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson on March 21, 2024, responding to a question about Humphrey missing work, that Humphrey was using sick time she had before she retired. Humphrey retired in 2007 and came back as a regular employee “after leaving her position for the number of days required,” according to a guest column Tillman wrote that was published last April 30.
“It was at that time Ms. Humphrey resumed to accumulate sick leave,” she wrote. “Upon becoming an elected official in 2011, her leave time ceased December 2010, but a record was kept with the number of hours accumulated as a regular employee.”
The lawsuit accuses Tillman of being reminded that Humphrey’s sick time was to “start over from zero once she was a new hire again,” adding her time from retirement does not carry over and she did not have enough sick time vested to be off work for several weeks.”
The lawsuit charges that Humphrey was to pay back the money earned while out of work sick, but she has yet to repay the county those funds.
“When she became ill in December 2023, she began using sick time accumulated,” Gloria Tillman wrote. “She has worked for Jefferson County for 48 years. Her time is accurately documented. While on sick leave from January to April 15, 2024, she was paid from sick leave she had rightly accumulated over the eligible years.”
Messages seeking comment on the lawsuit were left for Tillman and Coleman.
Cannon, a local activist, said Wednesday he “agreed immediately” to be a plaintiff after talking to Trice, a recent candidate for the Jefferson County Quorum Court.
“Because it’s the right thing to do because of the injustice,” Cannon said, answering why he joined the suit. “It’s past time for people to be held accountable. The problem is there is no accountability in Jefferson County. There’s been a lack of accountability.”
Cannon warned “there’s more to come,” adding other elected officials will be held accountable as well. He did not mention who.
“They have to know we, as constituents, are serious,” Cannon said. “It’s past time for a change. It’s really cut and dry.
The Tillmans are plaintiffs in an ongoing case against Robinson, accusing him of converting payments due to county employees during a budget stalemate that is now in its fourth month. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law a state senate bill requiring the county to pay all employees from the previous year’s budget and withholding pay for the county judge and justices of the peace until a budget for the current year is approved.
Cannon confirmed a point Robinson made that Trice sought information from the county judge’s office via Freedom of Information Act. Robinson, however, denied any involvement in the citizens’ lawsuit against Tillman and her office.
“I’m reading what you read,” Robinson said.
