Photo: Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton was at Continental Mills in Hopkinsville earlier this summer
Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton is suing Governor Matt Bevin, requesting that the court restore the jobs of her two staff members who were dismissed by the governor’s office earlier this year.
The Courier Journal reports the lawsuit filed in Franklin Circuit Court argues the Bevin administration illegally dismissed Hampton’s chief of staff Steve Knipper in late January and deputy chief of staff Adrienne Southworth in late May.
Hampton is reportedly seeking a court order declaring that the lieutenant governor is the proper appointing authority for employees of the lieutenant governor’s office.
The lawsuit requests the court to declare that the “attempted termination” of employees of her office by the governor without Hampton’s consent was “wholly and legally ineffective.”
The suit names Bevin “in his official capacity as Governor” and the state Personnel Cabinet as the defendants, according to the Courier Journal.
Lt. Gov. Hampton is not on Gov. Bevin’s ticket for reelection, as he instead chose Republican state Senator Ralph Alvarado as his running mate.