A federal court jury Wednesday found that Lowndes County did not wrongfully terminate former road department superintendent Howard Smart because of his race.
Smart claimed that he was dismissed by Lowndes County because of his race.
The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors and Road Manager Ronnie Burns maintained that Smart”s dismissal was for job-related reasons, particularly the elimination of his position as superintendent.
A jury trial was held before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Glen Davidson in Aberdeen and, after a three-day trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Lowdnes County.
Berk Huskison and Ronny Roberts of Mitchell, McNutt and Sams in Columbus represented Lowndes County in the case.
Smart was represented Michael D. Cook of Iuka.
Smart, a farmer who lives in Crawford, ran unsuccessfully for Lowndes County District 4 Supervisor, against incumbent Jeff Smith, in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.