A former deputy has sued Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey claiming he was passed over for a promotion due to his wife’s social media activity and a single comment he made.
Jason Davis and his wife, Jennifer Davis, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati Monday against McGuffey, the chief deputy sheriff Jay Gramke and Hamilton County.
The couple argues they were retaliated against over protected speech and that ultimately Jason Davis was forced to resign after more than 20 years with the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff McGuffey issued a statement Monday in response to the lawsuit.
“We look forward to having our lawyer represent us in this lawsuit because so much of it is untrue,” McGuffey wrote. “That is the only comment we have at this time regarding the pending litigation.”
The social media activity
According to the lawsuit, Jennifer Davis made a post on social media in 2020 in response to McGuffey saying COVID-19 was her top priority. Davis’s post said officer safety and suicide prevention should be a top priority because line-of-duty deaths and suicides were claiming the lives of more officers than the virus.