Former Fayette County Schools budget director files 2nd lawsuit against district
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- Ann Sampson-Grimes filed a June 12 lawsuit contesting her reassignment.
- The lawsuit says the district demoted Sampson-Grimes, cut her pay, and gave no hearing.
- This is Sampson-Grimes’s second lawsuit; her prior suit was filed in September 2025.
The former budget director of Fayette County Public Schools has filed a second lawsuit against the district, alleging she was improperly demoted and reassigned.
In a lawsuit filed June 12 in Fayette Circuit Court, Ann Sampson-Grimes alleges the school district gave her notice March 5 that she would be reassigned. The same day, Sampson-Grimes filed notice she wanted to take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Sampson-Grimes contested her reassignment, which the lawsuit said was a demotion with reduced pay. The lawsuit alleges state law requires the district to provide information in writing to explain why Sampson-Grimes had been demoted.
The lawsuit alleges the district never provided that information or a hearing to Sampson-Grimes, contrary to the law.
“That Plaintiff timely contested her demotion, yet a written statement of the grounds for demotion was not provided to Plaintiff nor was a hearing,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit asks a Fayette Circuit Court judge to set aside Sampson-Grimes’ demotion and non-renewal of her contract.
Sampson-Grimes was placed on administrative leave in August 2025.
Fayette County Public Schools Chief of Staff Tracy Bruno said the district does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Brandon Voelker, Sampson-Grimes’ attorney, said his client filed the lawsuit after being notified she was going to be demoted.
“We recently filed an appeal of the District’s unlawful and retaliatory conduct towards Ann Grimes, to ensure that they District does not seek to argue KRS required exhaustion of administrative remedies,” Voelker said. “Ms. Grimes was afforded due process protections by statute, which only recently became applicable because while she was unlawfully suspended with pay and removed from her position as Budget Director, her wages had not been reduced.
“With the school year concluding, Superintendent Liggins then affirmed his retaliatory conduct towards Ann Grimes and advised that her position and pay was being reduced.”
First lawsuit alleges retaliation for reporting financial problems
This is the second lawsuit Sampson-Grimes has filed against the district.
In September 2025, Sampson-Grimes sued the district alleging she was placed on leave because she repeatedly alerted her bosses last year that the district’s financial state was flailing and would worsen in 2025.
In the lawsuit, Sampson-Grimes said each time she made recommendations, “her peers and superiors pushed back, claimed she was incorrect, or flat-out ignored her advice, which led to several instances where she was retaliated and/or discriminated against.”
That lawsuit is ongoing, court records show.
Fayette County Public Schools finances have been in disarray for more than two years. Earlier this year, Liggins, who is currently on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, announced the district’s finances had been misstated for nearly two decades. The district has had to slash expenses to balance its books, including cutting 120 positions and decreasing the number of work days for other employees.
In her September 2025 lawsuit, Sampson-Grimes alleges she repeatedly warned administrators in 2025 that more drastic cuts were needed to balance the district’s books. She alleges her warnings were not heeded, and the district put her on leave in retaliation.
The district’s finance and budget department is currently undergoing personnel changes after the severity of the district’s financial problems came to light.
Longtime FCPS Finance Director Rodney Jackson is on medical leave and two other staffers in the finance department have been placed on leave, school officials have confirmed. The district has not identified those two staffers.
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 10:23 AM.
