Bankruptcy

Former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill Files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Petition

By Scott Riddle

Former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, whose term ended on December 31, 2008, filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on Tuesday.  In re Victor Hill, Ch. 7 Case No. 08-86567-crm (filed Dec. 30, 2008) (download petition here).

Click here for Fox5 Atlanta report.  From an AJC article:

Hill, who ends his single term at midnight Wednesday, filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court, claiming he does not have enough money to pay $1.7 million in damages for several lawsuits. This includes a judgment for $475,000 he owes to Mark Tuggle, the brother of Hill’s predecessor as sheriff. Tuggle won a lawsuit against Hill in U.S. District Court in October after a jury found Hill guilty of false arrest...

The bankruptcy is the cap to Hill’s tumultuous four-year term that began on his first day in office in 2005 when he fired 27 deputies. The deputies sued Hill for wrongful termination. They won their jobs back and settled for $7 million, which was paid by Clayton County.

The Clayton County Commission is also investigating Hill for alleged credit abuse. Commissioners allege Hill used a county credit card to pay for a trip to Las Vegas earlier this month. Hill said he was attending a conference. However, County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell previously said he did not authorize the trip.

In August, Hill lost a bid for re-election to attorney Kem Kimbrough and put his Riverdale house on the market for $295,900. Kimbrough takes over as sheriff Thursday.

 More on Clayton County, here, here and here.

Full post as published by Georgia Bankruptcy Blog on January 01, 2009 (boomark / email).