Georgia lawmaker who passed out in the street after night of drinking is suing county for firing her
A former Georgia lawmaker is planning to sue Clayton County for ousting her from her position after she was filmed screaming at medics who allegedly found her passed out drunk outside of a sports bar.
Felicia Franklin announced that she is filing the suit for wrongful termination after county officials voted unanimously to dismiss her from her position as Board of Commissioners Vice Chair over the September altercation, which was recorded on police-worn body cameras, according to the Daily Mail.
Franklin — who is also running for the county chairman position — claims in the lawsuit that the “traumatic and unfortunate incident” outside the 404 Sports Bar and Gill in Morrow came after she was “drugged with a ‘date rape’ drug.”
The suit claims her “evening took a turn for the worse” and she was found “crying and clearly in a vulnerable position” when police arrived on the scene.
But Sgt. Scott Stewart from the Morrow Police Department said: “We have found no evidence to support that she was in fact drugged with GHB.”
He said officers have reviewed security footage showing Franklin walking alone into the sports bar and ordering several drinks.
“She had probably three and a half, four drinks, then a swig of beer,” Stewart told Fox 5.
Police claim the footage shows Franklin had three “That’s a home run” drinks, which contain 40-proof Hennessy and Grand Mariner, followed by a glass of wine and a swig of someone else’s beer.
By the time police arrived on the scene, body camera footage showed her lying on the ground outside the bar.
Officers could be seen lifting her up and onto a gurney as she remained unconscious, before she started screaming, crying and cursing out the first responders.
At one point, Franklin could be seen shouting, “I don’t know what they gave me.”
She could also be seen hitting an EMT in an ambulance and repeatedly yelling at him to “get the f– out of my face.”
When an officer told her, “Ma’am you’re about to go to jail,” Franklin replied, “I don’t give a f— get him out of my face.”
She also cried “don’t leave me, don’t leave me,” as she was transported to a local hospital, where she was transferred to a bed — and became even more agitated, calling out for her mother.
In the aftermath, another video of Franklin being questioned by the police shows cops confronting her with receipts proving she had more drinks than she initially claimed.
“I didn’t have five drinks… I had five drinks? I don’t remember having five drinks,” she said in response, claiming the other drinks listed were for other people.
Investigators said they could not find any evidence of anyone tampering with her drinks, and claimed a toxicology report found cannabis in her system.
“She refused a blood test, but she did have a urinalysis, and it showed positive for cannabinoids, also known as cannabis,” Sgt. Stewart said.
But as news of the incident spread, Franklin claimed on Oct. 1 she was drugged at the bar.
“It is believed by medical professionals that I was drugged with a GHB pill, more commonly known as the ‘date rape pill,’ and this incident has shaken me to my core,” she posted on Facebook.
“I will be working closely with authorities to ensure that justice is served, and I will also be advocating for improved safety measures at events like these,” she claimed.
“No one should have to go through what I experienced, and I want to thank all of you for your support during this challenging time.”
The police department now says the case is “closed,” noting that the EMTs on the scene decided not to press charges.
Still, by the end of October, Franklin was unanimously ousted from her position as vice chair as some residents demanded Gov. Brian Kemp remove her.
“The video spoke for itself. What more can we say?” Chairman Jeff Turner told WSB-TV about the decision.
“We represent the citizens of Clayton County and we have to make sure we present ourselves in a way that our citizens are going to be proud of us.”
Franklin reportedly called the move unlawful during the meeting, as she said she would still run for chairwoman.
“Today, two of my political opponents are holding a special called meeting to replace me as vice chair of the board with another commissioner,” she posted on Facebook.
“This move by them will free up more of my time a month early so that I can fully commit to being elected to the chairman’s seat so that we can finally move our country forward.”
The Post has reached out to Clayton County officials for comment.