TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Apr 28, 2026

Richard Bean, the 85-year-old former superintendent of a Knox County juvenile detention center named for him, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $5 million from Knox County, County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin. Bean alleges his constitutional rights were violated through forced resignation, age discrimination and reputational damage from public statements made by county officials, Knox News reports. The lawsuit claims Irwin and Jacobs conspired against Bean after he fired two employees — a nurse and an IT specialist — who had exposed medical malfeasance at the facility, and that the officials pressured him to rehire those workers before he resigned three days later. Bean says the ordeal cost him lost wages and earning capacity and caused emotional pain and suffering.