Posted in Negligence on August 21, 2012
An entire community has been pulled into and affected by a complicated case, which a Tennessee family brought against the Tennessee Highway Patrol as a result of a fatal accident in November of last year.
The family, which has since dropped the $10 million lawsuit, initially brought the charges alleging that a former state trooper did not perform his duties properly when he passed by a fiery car accident that claimed the life of their son.
The charges were dropped when the Tennessee Highway Patrol fired former officer Charles Van Morgan in February, after investigators determined that he did in fact drive by the wreck, which killed Gordon Kyle Anito, a 20-year-old Knox County resident.
Morgan and the THP were both listed as defendants in the case, but when Anito’s family members learned that Morgan had been fired, they felt justice had been served, and dropped all charges.
Since Morgan had still been performing Officer duties while the investigation was underway, he had been arresting other individuals for violations up until he was fired. At that point, since it was determined that he did not have any authority or credibility after the fiery wreck in November, Knox County prosecutors were forced to dismiss charges that had been brought against 95 people who Morgan had been investigating.
Morgan has alleged his innocence throughout the entire ordeal, and is currently in the process of fighting to get his job back. He is currently scheduled for a hearing on December 6th, for that exact reason.
