Tikita Jones v. Shelby County Government Civil Service Merit Board & Shelby County Division of Health Services
Tikita Jones, a municipal employee, was terminated from her position with the Shelby County Division of Health Services for unauthorized access to her adult daughter's medical records. The termination was upheld by the Shelby County Civil Service Merit Board and subsequently affirmed by the Chancery Court. Jones appealed, claiming violations of due process rights and a lack of substantial evidence to support the decision. The Court of Appeals of Tennessee affirmed the lower court's ruling, finding that Jones received adequate notice of the charges and that substantial and material evidence supported the Board's conclusion that her actions constituted an impermissible access of patient information, beyond her job duties. The court specifically noted that accessing sensitive lab reports was outside her clerical specialist role and her testimony regarding authorization was inconsistent with her daughter's.