Former Monroe County sheriff’s office employee files whistleblower lawsuit
FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- A former employee of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has filed
a wrongful termination lawsuit
, saying she was fired in retaliation for reporting suspected financial misconduct within the department.
According to a news release from her attorney, Courtney Morgan, who served nearly 11 years with the agency, filed a civil complaint in Monroe County Superior Court on May 30, 2025, citing violations of Georgia’s whistleblower protection law. Morgan previously worked as Office Manager and Assistant to Sheriff Brad Freeman before her termination on May 17, 2024.
According to the complaint, Morgan was dismissed after raising concerns over credit card purchases made by the agency’s finance director.
Improper charges and home address tied to agency card
The lawsuit says that in April 2024, Morgan discovered that a Monroe County credit card issued to the finance director was registered to the finance director’s home address. She reported the issue to Col. Michael Hull and, with his instruction, requested additional documents, including credit card statements.
Upon reviewing a transaction spreadsheet, Morgan said she’d identified charges she believed were unrelated to Sheriff’s Office business, including Amazon and Walmart purchases. She reported her findings to Sheriff Freeman and an investigator with the sheriff’s office, and again consulted Col. Hull, who confirmed he had not approved the charges.
She was terminated two days after Morgan says she spoke with Sheriff Freeman about the issue. The complaint alleges Freeman told her he “did not need her anymore.”
Internal investigation followed report
In a statement issued alongside the complaint, Morgan said the department turned its scrutiny on her rather than the alleged misconduct.
“Instead of investigating the fraud, the Sheriff’s Office subjected me to an internal affairs investigation regarding how I obtained the information regarding the improper transactions,” Morgan said. “I was asked if I wanted to have the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) called to investigate the transactions. I did; however, to my knowledge, they never were called in. I lost my career because I would not remain silent about the misuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Whistleblower protections at issue
Georgia’s whistleblower law, O.C.G.A. § 45-1-4, prohibits public employers from retaliating against employees who report suspected fraud, waste, abuse, or legal violations.
Morgan’s lawsuit says that her firing was a direct act of retaliation and seeks relief under the state statute.
We’re reaching out to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for their response.
