Recent lawsuits involving Marshall County, MS include a federal wire fraud indictment against the sitting tax assessor, a jury verdict of more than $500,000 against the Marshall County School District in a racial discrimination case, federal civil rights suits over two inmate deaths at the county jail, construction contract rulings from the Mississippi Court of Appeals, and a cluster of litigation involving the city of Holly Springs over a malicious prosecution and utility operations. No single case dominates; each is summarized below with what the record shows about status and outcome.
Tax Assessor Federal Wire Fraud Case
Marshall County Tax Assessor Barbara Belfoure, 61, was arrested on April 30, 2026, after a federal grand jury returned a two-count wire fraud indictment on April 22, 2026. The indictment alleges she applied for and received a Paycheck Protection Program loan in 2021 and applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan in the summer of 2020, both pandemic relief programs. PPP records indicate she received about $20,888 in February 2021 for a clothing store she owned, claiming an annual payroll of roughly $100,000 for a single employee. The loan was forgiven five months later.
Belfoure waived formal arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Roy Percy and pleaded not guilty. She was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Trial is set for June 22, 2026, before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Mills, with any plea agreement due by June 8 or 9, 2026. Each count carries a potential sentence of up to 30 years.
The indictment arrived against a broader backdrop of audit findings about her office. State audits for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 flagged “erroneous calculations of total assessed values on real property taxes,” finding that residential properties consisting of land only were not updated to reflect improvements and were “significantly undervalued,” creating a potential financial loss to the county. The dollar impact has not been determined, and both audit reports issued qualified opinions on the county’s governmental activities and general fund.
Racial Discrimination Verdict Against the School District
In March 2017, a jury returned a verdict of more than $500,000 against the Marshall County School District in a case brought by Dr. Patsey Thomas, a former administrator with 20 years of service. The jury found the district liable for racial discrimination, retaliation, fostering a hostile work environment, and constructive discharge.
Thomas alleged that after the school board hired a new director of schools, Jackie Abernathy, in January 2012, every African American supervisor in the Central Office was fired or demoted within three months. Thomas herself was moved from Coordinator of Health to a middle school physical education teacher.
Jail Death Lawsuits
Conditions at the Marshall County Jail have produced federal wrongful death litigation on more than one occasion. The outcomes diverge sharply between the two cases on record.
Princess Anderson (2011)
Princess Anderson was transported to the jail in February 2011 after a court ordered her involuntary commitment for acute psychosis. She had tested positive for marijuana and opiates. The booking officer, Adella Anderson (no relation), later admitted she did not review the medical records or commitment paperwork brought by the transporting deputies, believing jail staff were not entitled to see them.
In the days that followed, other inmates reported screaming, hallucinations, self-harm, and seizures. When staff eventually checked the cell, Anderson was lying in about two inches of water, feces, and vomit, with blood on the walls and her fingertips, and her urine described as black. A medical examiner later identified a possible miscarriage during her time in custody. She was taken to a hospital on February 11, 2011, and died on March 15, 2011, of multisystem organ failure.
Her mother, Angela Anderson, sued Marshall County and the sheriff under 42 U.S.C. ยง 1983. The district court granted summary judgment to the county, and in January 2016 the Fifth Circuit affirmed. The appeals court found the plaintiff had proved negligence by the individual officer but had not shown the kind of county policy required for municipal liability under Monell. It also rejected the failure-to-train claim, writing that jail staff “should have known to call 911 sooner without additional training.”
Nickolas Keith Black (2021)
In late 2021, Keith Allen Black filed a federal wrongful death suit after his 23-year-old son, Nickolas Keith Black, died following detention at the jail. The complaint named Sheriff Phil Sims, Chief Correctional Officer Matt Cooper, healthcare provider Southern Health Partners Inc., and nurse Lisa Rigsby. It alleged the younger Black, an immunocompromised kidney transplant recipient, suffered sepsis, dehydration, malnutrition, kidney failure, and pneumonia because he was denied medical care, was exposed to construction dust while in protective custody, and that jail officials ignored repeated pleas about his condition.
The suit asserted deliberate indifference under the Fourteenth Amendment, an unconstitutional custom or policy of inadequate staffing and medical protocols, and medical negligence. The available record does not reflect an outcome.
Construction Contract Disputes
Two construction cases involving Marshall County entities have reached the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
E. Cornell Malone Corporation v. Marshall County School District
In 2019, E. Cornell Malone Corporation contracted with the school district for roofing repairs at Galena Elementary and HW Byers. A May 2020 change order set the contract sum at $900,642. During the work, the contractor discovered deteriorated decking it described as a latent condition. The district’s insurance denied coverage, and the district never formally approved Malone’s $143,896 proposal to replace the decking.
Malone sued on October 4, 2022, alleging breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and a claim under Mississippi’s public construction payment statute. The circuit court dismissed all three in August 2023: the breach claim because the proposal for extra work was unsigned, the unjust enrichment claim as time-barred under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act’s one-year statute of limitations, and the statutory claim for the absence of a valid contract or change order.
On April 15, 2025, the Court of Appeals affirmed. It held that the one-year limitations period began running 45 days after substantial completion in September 2020, making the October 2022 complaint untimely.
Haman Construction v. Marshall County Board of Supervisors
Haman Construction, LLC v. Marshall County Board of Supervisors (Case No. 99269) reached the Court of Appeals more recently, with oral arguments heard on November 13, 2025, during a special session at Mississippi State University. The underlying dispute and lower court ruling are not reflected in the available record, and the case appears to remain pending as of early 2026.
Holly Springs City Litigation
Holly Springs, the county seat, has its own recent set of legal problems.
Malicious Prosecution Verdict Against the Former Mayor
On October 22, 2025, a federal jury found former Holly Springs Mayor Sharon Gipson liable for malicious prosecution of Vinita Raimey, an administrative assistant to Police Chief Grant Glover. Gipson had pressed criminal assault charges in 2023, alleging Raimey injured her arm by aggressively shutting a door during a June 1, 2023 meeting at the police department. Raimey was acquitted, then sued. The jury found Gipson acted without probable cause and with malicious intent, and the complaint characterized the prosecution as a retaliatory effort to undermine the police chief. Raimey sought $10,000 in damages. Gipson, elected the first woman mayor of Holly Springs in 2021, lost her reelection bid to Charles Terry in 2025.
Utility Litigation
The Tennessee Valley Authority sued Holly Springs in May 2025, alleging multiple breaches of contract that included financial mismanagement. In September 2025, the Mississippi Public Service Commission voted to impose daily fines of up to $12,500 on the city for failing to address power grid deficiencies. In November 2025, the city filed its own federal suit arguing the PSC exceeded its authority and violated the city’s due process rights. The PSC also voted unanimously to pursue placing the Holly Springs Utility Department into receivership, a step requiring a petition through the state attorney general’s office to a chancery court judge.
Older Desegregation Case Still on the Docket
One historic matter remains worth noting. In Anthony v. Marshall County Board of Education, filed in May 1968, African American schoolchildren sued through their parents to compel desegregation of two Marshall County school districts. The Fifth Circuit issued an opinion in April 1969. The docket showed activity as recently as 2005, and the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse last updated its record in April 2024, suggesting the case may retain some ongoing administrative posture decades after it was filed.