Clayton County has paid $400,000 to a former sheriff’s deputy who alleged he was mistreated and unlawfully fired in 2019 by then-sheriff Victor Hill, ending a yearslong legal battle.
Attorneys for Vincent Handsford announced the settlement Monday, saying he was discriminated and retaliated against by Hill after being diagnosed in 2015 with rheumatoid arthritis. Though Handsford was a competent sergeant in the sheriff’s office, he was repeatedly denied a promotion in favor of less qualified applicants, demoted, humiliated and fired in violation of federal law, his lawsuit alleged.
“Mr. Handsford’s courage and steadfast belief in the cause of justice has been an incredible inspiration, and we’re thrilled he can finally move forward in his law enforcement career with this chapter behind him,” Ashley Wilson Clark, Handsford’s lead attorney, said in a news release.
Sheriff Levon Allen replaced Hill as the defendant in the case in June 2023, after being elected sheriff. Hill’s time in office ended in 2021 when he was indicted on federal charges of violating the civil rights of jail detainees. He was found guilty in October 2022 and sentenced in March 2023 to 18 months in prison.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
A spokesperson for Allen directed questions about the case to Hill, saying: “Allen’s name was on the lawsuit as a formality.”
Hill could not immediately be contacted for comment. His conviction was upheld in April by the Atlanta-based federal appeals court. Hill is a defendant in dozens of civil cases, many still pending.
The Clayton County Board of Commissioners approved the settlement in Handsford’s case on Aug. 6, Wilson Clark said. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has asked the county how much it has paid to settle lawsuits involving Hill to date. A county spokesperson did not immediately respond Monday.
Handsford, 46, has been employed by the Henry County Police Department since 2020, Wilson Clark said.
In his complaint, Handsford said he was hired in 2012 by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, which learned of his arthritis in 2016 when he had a hip replacement. He said Hill subsequently treated him as if he was “crippled,” despite the fact he didn’t need or seek any kind of accommodation for his condition.
Handsford said he was one of four sergeants who qualified in the summer of 2017 to become a lieutenant, but that he was passed over multiple times for the promotion. Five sergeants with inferior credentials or performance evaluations were promoted to lieutenant between November 2017 and August 2018, Handsford claimed.
He filed a discrimination case with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in October 2018, after being demoted by Hill to the position of corrections officer in the Clayton County Jail. Handsford said Hill had accused him of failing to timely report a suspect chase.
Handsford said his EEOC complaint prompted retaliation from Hill, who revoked approval for Handsford to do part-time security work and refused to provide approval that Handsford required to maintain his law enforcement certification with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
In early 2019, Hill barred Handsford from wearing his uniform shirt while working inside the county jail, the lawsuit alleged. Handsford said he was made to work in the jail’s medical ward and housing unit without the necessary training and ordered to undertake a polygraph examination in relation to his EEOC case, which he passed.
Handsford claimed he was put on “road duty” in the civil division of the sheriff’s office in June 2019 without any associated training. He said he was placed on administrative leave in August 2019 without a legitimate basis and then made to complete a medical “fitness for duty” examination.
Hill fired Handsford on Aug. 9, 2019, the day after he passed the medical test, the lawsuit states. Handsford alleged that he was told by a superior he’d be prosecuted for trespass if he entered the sheriff’s office or the Clayton County courthouse without prior approval. He said he received a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC in November 2019.
Handsford and Allen told a Georgia federal judge in June that they were finalizing the settlement, subject to approval from the Clayton County Board of Commissioners. In an Aug. 19 dismissal notice, they agreed to bear their own litigation costs and attorney fees.
