This story was originally published by the Nashville Banner. Sign up for their newsletter at nashvillebanner.com/newsletters.
A former state employee is suing Tennessee, the state legislature and House Speaker Cameron Sexton over alleged retaliation, claiming that he was fired from his research job for raising concerns about campaign finance and corruption, a violation of whistleblower protections.
Ted Boyatt was fired from his job as a committee research analyst for the legislature in June 2024 after repeatedly advocating for more transparency around campaign finance reporting requirements and stricter anti-corruption laws.
In the lawsuit filed late Tuesday, Boyatt alleges he was dismissed as a result of filing requests for advisory opinions from the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, but was also harassed during his employment for being a “snitch” after becoming an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Last year, the Nashville Banner reported on Boyatt’s requests for advisory opinions, which were presented weeks before any discipline, and his subsequent firing. When he was fired, the state told Boyatt it was for failing to adhere to office hours, a complaint he said no supervisor ever discussed with him before cutting off his keycard access in May 2024, weeks before formally terminating his employment.