Lee County, Georgia lawsuit settlements over the past two decades include a $225,000 defamation payout to former co-county manager Mike Sistrunk in 2021, a $150,000 wrongful termination settlement with former Associate Probate Judge Kathie Cash in 2014, and a confidential wrongful death settlement with the family of 17-year-old Wesley Beaver, who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy. Other matters, including a former county manager’s breach of contract suit and a 2025 federal civil rights case against the sheriff’s office, remain unresolved on the public record.
Mike Sistrunk Defamation Settlement — $225,000 (2021)
Mike Sistrunk resigned as co-county manager on February 22, 2021. Soon after, Commissioner John Wheaton published comments in the Lee County Ledger and the Albany Herald alleging “inappropriate actions” by Sistrunk.
Through attorney Louis Hatcher, Sistrunk sent an ante litem notice, the formal pre-lawsuit demand Georgia law requires before suing a government entity. The notice sought $560,810.16, split evenly between lost future salary and damages for reputational harm and emotional distress. Sistrunk also demanded Wheaton’s resignation, a sworn statement that Wheaton would never again seek public office in Lee County, and a full-page public apology in both local papers.1Yahoo News. Mike Sistrunk’s Demands $560,000
The county initially rejected the demands, citing sovereign immunity and arguing that Wheaton’s comments about a public official were privileged. The parties went to mediation on July 8, 2021, and settled for $225,000, paid through the county’s insurance provider and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia. No lawsuit was ever filed. Hatcher called the settlement “an admission that the statements against Mike were hurtful and harmful.”2Yahoo News. Mike Sistrunk Agrees to $225,000 Settlement
Kathie Cash Wrongful Termination Settlement — $150,000 (2014)
Former Associate Probate Judge Kathie Cash sued Lee County Probate Judge John Wheaton in Lee County Superior Court in July 2013. Cash alleged she was fired in retaliation for reporting that Wheaton’s granddaughter, Amanda Battzell, a clerk in the probate office, had been submitting inflated time sheets.3Albany Herald. Kathie Cash Reaches Tentative Settlement of Lawsuit Against Lee County and Probate Judge John Wheaton
Mediation resolved the case in September 2014 for $150,000. County Attorney Jimmy Skipper said the county’s insurance carrier chose to settle rather than risk a larger jury award, noting that facts uncovered during discovery were “not helpful to Judge Wheaton’s position.” The insurer paid the settlement, minus any applicable deductible, rather than county funds directly.4WALB. Lee Legal Settlement Apparent
Wesley Beaver Wrongful Death Settlement (Confidential)
The Beaver family’s attorney, Wilbur Gamble III, filed a $10 million federal wrongful death lawsuit in August 2005 against Lee County, the sheriff, and then-Deputy Donnie Spillers over the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Wesley Beaver.5WALB. Attorney Finalizes $10M Beaver Death Lawsuit According to the firm that represented the family, the case ended in a “significant confidential settlement.” The deputy was fired, and the political fallout contributed to the sheriff’s defeat in the next election.6Collier & Gamble. Our Cases The dollar amount and date of the civil settlement were not publicly disclosed.
Spillers was also a defendant in an earlier suit by William Williamson, who alleged Spillers and Virginia Crisp had bribed police officers to wrongfully arrest him. That case likewise ended in a confidential settlement, and Spillers was never disciplined by the sheriff’s office over the incident.7WALB. Details of Sheriff Settlement Come to Light
Cases Without a Public Settlement on Record
Ron Rabun Breach of Contract Suit (2016)
Former County Manager Ron Rabun sued the Lee County Commission in Superior Court on March 15, 2016, after being terminated in November 2015. He had been hired in September 2013. Rabun called the firing “arbitrary and capricious” and driven by “personal and political reasons,” and said the commission denied him the advance notice and chance to respond that his contract required.8Albany Herald. Former Lee County Manager Ron Rabun Files Lawsuit
Rabun sought six months of severance, attorneys’ fees, punitive damages, and interest. Commission Chairman Rich Muggridge said Rabun was fired “with cause,” which under the contract entitled him to nothing, and promised a “vigorous defense.”9WALB. Lee County Responds to Fired Manager’s Lawsuit The public record does not reflect a settlement or final judgment.
Tholen v. Rachals Federal Civil Rights Suit (Pending)
Filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Tholen v. Rachals alleges that a Lee County Sheriff’s Office employee named Betancourt sexually abused and harassed the plaintiff, a pretrial detainee, during a pat-down at the Lee County Jail on August 31, 2023. The complaint brings claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the federal civil rights statute, and under Georgia state law.10CaseMine. Tholen v. Rachals
On March 31, 2026, the court granted a partial motion to dismiss. Claims against several individual defendants and the county’s insurance pool were dismissed, along with the official-capacity claims against Betancourt, but the civil rights and state-law claims against Betancourt in his individual capacity were allowed to proceed. The case remains active and has not settled.
A Note on the 2025–2026 Property Tax Dispute
The largest Lee County financial controversy of the current period is not a lawsuit settlement. In December 2025, Board of Tax Assessors Chair Philip Husain found that an “erroneous rollback rate” had been used to calculate 2025 ad valorem tax bills.11WALB. Property Tax Rebates Owed to Lee County Residents After Erroneous Rollback Rate Discovered An independent firm, McCormick Solutions Inc., confirmed the irregularities. Commission Chairman Luke Singletary first estimated the overpayment at about $1.5 million,12WALB. Legal Expert Breaks Down Alleged Lee County Property Tax Overpayments and Recent ESPLOST Vote but the Lee County School System later estimated it alone had collected roughly $3.4 million in excess revenue.13WALB. Property Tax Error Resulted in $3.4M Additional Revenue for Lee County School System
Residents demanded accountability, and some officials questioned whether understated reassessment figures had allowed the county to skip required public hearings.14Albany Herald. Residents Demand Accountability as Fingers Point in Lee County Tax Controversy No lawsuit was filed. On May 28, 2026, the Board of Tax Assessors approved corrected PT-32 forms, and Tax Commissioner Wendy David announced paper refund checks starting in June 2026. On June 11, 2026, the Lee County School Board voted unanimously to issue direct refunds rather than apply credits to future bills, formally accepting an adjusted rollback rate of 13.539 mills.15WALB. Homeowners Could Soon Learn How They’ll Get Money Back After Lee County Property Tax Overpayments The school district has said it followed state law using figures from the official tax digest and that responsibility rests with the assessors’ office.16Albany Herald. Lee Schools Approve $97.1M Budget, Officials Defend Tax Rollback Actions, Warn of Future Funding Challenges Whether litigation follows is still open.