NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The terminated vaccine director in Tennessee has sued the state and says she wants to clear her name.
Michelle Fiscus was fired after Republican lawmakers objected to her promoting COVID-19 vaccinations for teenagers.
The lawsuit, first reported by Axios, explains that she couldn't have sent herself a muzzle from an account listed in a state investigation.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security investigation indicated the package was sent from an Amazon account using a credit card, both in her name. But her attorney, Christopher Smith, said facts were left out of the state's report on the investigation, including that the credit card used to buy the muzzle had been lost and canceled for over a year.
The federal lawsuit says Fiscus has suffered emotional strain and stress over the incident and seeks compensatory damages and injunctive relief. It calls out Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey and its chief medical officer, Tim Jones.
"The complaint and declaration speak for themselves. I look forward to my name being cleared despite the Tennessee Department of Health's denial of my right to do so." Fiscus said in a statement to WTVF-TV.
The police department in Nashville is conducting a separate investigation into who sent the package.