Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods has responded to a lawsuit filed by former employee Mary Coy, who accused the sheriff of wrongful termination after she complained about perceived inhumane treatment of inmates in the Marion County Jail.
Coy, a certified jail auditor, worked at the jail from February 2018 until August 2024, when she claims she was wrongfully terminated from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for bringing forward concerns about the quality of care provided by Heart of Florida Health Center, the agency contracted for all inmate medical care.
Coy has been licensed as a registered nurse since 1985, according to the Florida Department of Health. Originally, it was part of Coy’s job description and duties to investigate and resolve inmate medical complaints. Heart of Florida staff argued that Coy bringing forward these concerns about inmate care was outside of her job description, and that she was not authorized to give medical advice.
During her time as the jail’s medical liaison, Coy filed monthly quality assurance reports to the head of the jail detailing compliance, or lack of compliance, with the jail’s policies for timely medical care.
Meghan Taylor was hired by MCSO to fill Coy’s place as jail medical liaison. As of February, no quality assurance reports have been filed in the six months since Coy’s termination.
Woods’ defense:
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