A scandal erupted on the internet after Maegan Hall was fired for having sexual intercourse with multiple colleagues. Now, she’s been awarded $500,000 in a lawsuit against the city of La Vergne and her former coworkers.
Misconduct in the Department
27-year-old Maegan Hall and four officers were fired in January 2023 after it was revealed that they were heavily drinking, partying, and participating in sexual acts during work hours. Three other officers were suspended without pay. The investigation ensued after a police sergeant reported the inappropriate relationships to Mayor Jason Cole despite the recurring incidents being swept under the rug for months.
The La Vergne Police Department faced scrutiny for allowing the sexual misconduct that took place on city property. Amongst those who committed the acts were Police Chief Burrell Davis and Sergent Lewis Powell, two highly esteemed superiors.
The two failed to discipline officers and instead decided to sexually engage with Hall. Davis went as far as to instruct Powell to lie and deny any accusations involving Hall. A 20-page investigative report was then published, confirming that explicit images were shared between Hall and fellow officers, as well as oral sex that occurred in the department’s gym.
A Lawsuit Filed Against La Vergne
A month after Hall was fired, she filed a lawsuit against the city of La Vergne and three of her former coworkers for sexual harassment. She claimed that Chief Davis, Sergent Powell, and Sergent Henry McGowan all used their position of authority to exploit and groom her. Hall expressed that she initially declined sexual acts with her peers, but then “gave in to the pressure.”
“My supervisors worked together to take advantage of my vulnerabilities and mental health, and they used it for their gain and their sexual pleasure.”
Maegan Hall in an exclusive interview
Since the scandal broke the internet, Hall shared that she started getting threatened and harassed, causing a strain on her mental health and ability to find a new job. Hall quickly became the face of degrading and humiliating memes all over the internet.
The Settlement
Hall’s lawyers asserted that the string of events caused her to nearly take her life, as she held up an empty weapon to her head and pulled the trigger to “know what it feels like.” In a 3 to 1 vote, city leaders took her side and agreed to pay half a million dollars to the former officer. “The La Vergne Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted tonight to authorize the mayor to sign a settlement agreement between the City of La Vergne and former police officer Maegan Hall,” the city said in a statement.
The only vote against settling, Alderman Dennis Waldron, scoffed that everyone should be coming to La Vergne to sue because they would hand out settlements. The city made it clear that their insurance provider would be paying the gross settlement to Hall, not taxpayer money.
