LAVERGNE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After the explosive sex scandal inside the La Vergne police department in 2023, the city agreed to pay former police officer Maegan Hall $500,000.
La Vergne city leaders voted 3 to 1 during a special meeting Wednesday night.
The half-a-million dollar settlement, which includes no admission of guilt on the city's behalf, settles Hall's lawsuit against the city and three of her former superiors.
The La Vergne Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted tonight to authorize the mayor to sign a settlement agreement between the City of La Vergne and former police officer Maegan Hall. The agreement was negotiated between the attorney's representing the City and Hall. The City's insurance provider will pay the sum of $500,000 to Hall as a gross settlement, which includes court costs, attorneys fees, and expenses. The City denies any admission of liability, and no taxpayer funds will be spent to settle this lawsuit.
We first told you about the mess back in January of last year, after the scandal revealed a pattern of inappropriate activity inside the department.
Reports detail sex between officers on duty and on city property, intimate photos and videos shared among officers, and silence from the Police Chief, who was clued into what was happening.
"While I was aspiring to protect my community, the La Vergne police department was not protecting me," she told NewsChannel 5 in an exclusive interview early last year.
Hall and her lawyer claim it was a hostile work environment and her former supervisors groomed her.
She, along with four other officers and the police chief, were fired.
Wednesday's vote ends Hall's lawsuit both against the city and three of her former superiors in the department.
Alderman Dennis Waldron was the only dissenting vote.
"What message does that send to all the other employees?" he asked. "It's sending a message out to everybody in the world [that says] come to La Vergne, sue La Vergne because they're going to settle."
The City says their insurance provider will pay the $500,000 to Hall as a gross settlement, which includes court costs, attorneys fees, and expenses. To be clear, that is not taxpayer money.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
