Judge Henry Lackey dismissed the jury today in Sheriel Perkins’ lawsuit over the 2013 Greenwood mayoral election results, saying she had not met her burden of proof.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams defeated Perkins in that election by 206 votes. Perkins sued, claiming there were irregularities in the voting.
Today, Jackson attorney Mark Garriga, who is representing McAdams, asked for a directed verdict by Lackey in remarks made without the 12-member jury present. Garriga said that even with the evidence presented by Sheriel Perkins viewed in the most favorable light, she failed to prove her claims.
When jurors came into the courtroom, Lackey said, “I am of the opinion, and do hereby rule, that the plaintiff, Mrs. Perkins, has failed to meet the burden of proof on the allegations.”
Greenwood attorney Willie Perkins, who has represented his wife, maintained that all the claims made against the election results in the lawsuit were still valid.
Sheriel Perkins could appeal Lackey’s ruling, and she said she would consider it.
Lackey said that based on his observations, the city of Greenwood is divided along racial lines, and he wished he could change that.
“I wish that I had a magic wand that I could wave and heal the racial divisions that I’ve found in Greenwood,” he said. “We’re on this same globe, and it’s the only one we’ve got.
“Like Benjamin Franklin said during the Revolutionary War, ‘If we don’t stand together, we’ll hang together.’ I wish I had that magic wand,” he said.
