Bamberg County Official Named in Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Against State Probation Agency

Tehran Jones filed a civil complaint in Bamberg County Circuit Court on March 13, 2026, naming both the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and a local official identified as Jodi Gallman as defendants in a case alleging employment discrimination and defamation.

The lawsuit, docketed as 2026CP0500046 and classified under common pleas employment, lists four categories of claims: defamation, discrimination claims, employment claims, and employment discrimination claims. Attorney Harper Lee Hutson is representing Jones as plaintiff counsel.

The inclusion of Gallman as an individual defendant alongside the state agency is notable. Court records list Gallman's name directly alongside the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services in the defendant field, though the complaint does not specify in the available court records whether Gallman is named in an official capacity, a personal capacity, or both. Gallman's precise job title and role within the agency have not been confirmed from the filed materials.

The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services oversees probation supervision, parole, and pardon services across the state, with field offices serving counties throughout South Carolina including Bamberg County. No response from the agency or from Gallman appears in the court record as of the filing date.

The complaint itself, which would contain the full factual allegations, the timeline of alleged conduct, and any relief Jones is seeking, was not publicly available in detail at the time of this report. Obtaining the full filing from the Bamberg County Circuit Court clerk would be the clearest path to understanding the specific events Jones alleges led to the defamation and discrimination claims.

The case was filed five days ago and remains in its early stages, with no motions, hearings, or scheduling orders yet reflected in the publicly available docket information.