BEAUMONT, Texas — Thirteen deputies who were fired before Orange County Sheriff Jimmy Lane Mooney took office in 2020 have now collected nearly $800,000 in back pay.
Mooney was set to take office in 2021 after winning the election but was appointed to take office early when then-Sheriff Keith Merritt retired early instead of finishing his term.
The 13 deputies were told in a June 10, 2020, letter from Mooney that they weren't the "best fit" and were also told there were no other positions available for them as they had all been filled according to a March 9, 2024 news release from the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA).
"It was just heart wrenching to hear about how it was impacting their families," said TMPA Executive Director Kevin Lawrence.
They were told to turn in all of their sheriff's office equipment by June 30, 2020, which was the day before Mooney took office according to the news release.
"We know for a fact, sheriffs who get appointed to fill somebody else's term do not have the authority to do this," Lawrence said.
TMPA tells 12News that Sheriff Mooney sent out letters notifying 13 deputies that they weren't the "best fit" and that all other positions had been filled.
"The sheriff decided he had a constitutional right to terminate these people, or reassign them and not allow them to appeal it under the contract," Lawrence said.
Once the 13 deputies Orange County filed grievances and requested arbitration, the county filed a lawsuit claiming they did not have the right to an arbitration hearing on their firings.
Texas' 9th Court of Appeals disagreed with the county and sent the case back to arbitration as part of the deputies' collective bargaining agreement.
"There was a provision in there that said, if the sheriff wants to fire somebody, there's a process that the sheriff is supposed to go through," said Lawrence.
Recently the arbitration was completed and the deputies, as a group, were ordered to be paid a total of $780,000 in back pay according to an April 3, 2024, news release from the TMPA.
Now after nearly four years of a legal back and forth the 13 deputies will each receive $60,000, which is the equivalent of one year's salary.
The deputies have now all received their shares of the back pay, Tyler Owen, of the TMPA, told 12News on Thursday.
"This is costing the taxpayers of Orange County $780,000, because of poor management within that position," said TMPA Communication Manager Tyler Owen.
The TMPA described the deputies' firings as unjust and the decision to award back pay as a "remarkable legal victory."
"This achievement highlights the critical role of unity and robust legal protection for our officers. We are committed to vigorously defending our members' rights," TMPA Executive Director Kevin Lawrence was quoted as saying in the release.
12News reached out to Sheriff Mooney for comment and he said he didn't know about the back pay and did not comment.
Orange County Judge John Gothia provided a statement.
"It's one of those unfortunate situations where the sheriff thought he was right in doing what he did and they felt they were right. So it had to go to the court system to settle it. So now it's behind us and we need to support law enforcement and respect the job they do," he said.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.