A former La Vergne police officer embroiled in last year's Tennessee police sex scandal is suing the city for “racial bias” after he was fired.
Five officers were fired and three others suspended earlier this year after a sex scandal within the police department came to light.
Former officer Lewis Powell now claims he was fired – while his white colleagues were allowed to remain on the force – because of his race.
He is suing the city, the mayor, Jason Cole, La Vergne HR director Andrew Patton and former police chief Chip Davis for racial discrimination, seeking $3 million in damages and back and forth payments.
The complaint alleges that the city “fired and vilified all officers involved – except those who were white and male – based at least in part on racial bias.”
Lewis Powell was fired after denying that he was sexually involved with Powell. Investigators were told that Hall performed oral sex on him while on duty. He later confessed to the charges
The municipality launched an internal investigation late last year after a whistleblower reported that a female officer, Maegan Hall, had “intimate relationships” with several male colleagues and even on police property.
During the course of the investigation, it emerged that Hall had sex with several fellow officers – including Powell – and that they had performed sexual acts while on duty.
When interviewed in the investigation, Hall said she had played “strip Uno” games, exchanged foot fetish photos and played wife-swapping sessions with fellow officers.
During an interview about the affairs, Hall said: “I got stupid, I got desperate, I guess, and boys are boys and they stick their dicks in everything.”
While discussing her affair with Powell, she said that at one point they engaged in sex acts on police property. She said, “I just gave him a blowjob in the substation.
'My husband and I were on the verge of divorce, but then things went wrong and things got out of hand.'
Powell initially denied the relationship but later admitted it, claiming in the latest lawsuit that then-Police Chief Davis initially told him to lie.
The investigation led to both Hall and Powell, as well as Patrol Officer Juan Lugo, Detective Seneca Shields, Sgt. Ty McGowan and eventually even Police Chief Davis – who initially led the investigation – all lost their jobs.
DailyMail.com has obtained interview transcripts from fired Tennessee cop Maegan Hall, 26, detailing her dealings with several fellow officers
Hall grew up in rural Tennessee and dreamed of becoming an actress, but ultimately chose law enforcement – a career that lasted just two years
Patrol Officer Patrick Magliocco, K-9 Officer Larry Holladay and Patrol Officer Gavin Schoeberl, who traded nude photos with Hall, were also suspended.
In the aftermath, Hall claimed she had been “sexually groomed” by her “predator” superiors and had tried to “kill herself.”
She filed her own lawsuit earlier this year, claiming that: “Sgt. Powell positioned himself as a reliable source of companionship and advice about Mrs. Hall's career and her marriage.
The lawsuit stated: “Sgt. Powell continued to make requests for sex despite Ms. Hall's resistance. Finally, Mrs. Hall gave in to Sgt. Powell's requests for sexual favors.”
But when she tried to stop her, she said Powell threatened to kill himself. The lawsuit states: “Sgt. Powell cried and told Mrs Hall he had drunk an entire bottle of Jack Daniel's whisky.
'He threatened to kill himself, told Ms Hall “you did this to me”, and claimed Ms Hall was responsible for his impending suicide.'
Hall said the “exploitative sexual relationship” with Powell led to other sexual encounters involving other officers.
K-9 officer Larry Holladay (left) and patrol officer Patrick Magliocco (right) were both suspended
Officers Ty McGowan (left) and Detective Seneca Shields (right) were fired for having sexual relations with Hall while on duty
Hall also confirmed that he had sexual relations with Juan Lugo-Perez (left). He admitted to having sex with Hall and sending explicit images, and was fired. Patrol Officer Gavin Schoeberl (right) traded nude photos with Hall but escaped suspension
She also alleged in the lawsuit that Police Chief Davis “was no better than his subordinates, who invited Hall to lunch dates, asked her to come to his office to dance for him and questioned whether she preferred “dark, white or milk chocolate'.'
It later emerged that Davis had shared explicit videos of Hall and made sexist comments on a secret phone he nicknamed “Ole Boy.”
Davis feigned surprise as he oversaw the internal investigation into the scandal.
But then court documents obtained by DailyMail.com revealed that Davis knew all about the events before the investigation and had even harassed one of his sergeants into sending him a video of Hall masturbating.
In the latest lawsuit, Powell accuses Davis of directing him during the investigation to lie about his relationship with Hall and “deny that anything happened at all.”
“During the year 2022, Officer Hall slept around with a number of other police officers,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit also claims that Hall then suffered a nervous breakdown and La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole discovered that she had slept with multiple officers and decided to “get to the bottom of the situation and uncover every juicy detail.”
DailyMail.com has contacted the City of La Vergne for comment.