In a small-town showdown that has moved from City Hall to the courthouse, Police Chief Richard "Rick" Jewell has filed suit against the Town of Mason and Mayor Eddie Noeman, accusing the mayor of cutting off his paycheck and retaliating after the board voted to keep him on the job.
The complaint, filed Wednesday, Feb. 25, says Jewell stopped getting paid and is owed $22,320 in back wages. He is also seeking $250,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages from Mayor Noeman in his individual capacity, alleging the mayor abused his authority by withholding the chief's salary after the board moved to retain him.
What the Complaint Alleges
Filed in Tipton County Circuit Court, the lawsuit lays out claims that include breach of contract, retaliation, and unjust enrichment. It says Jewell's paychecks ceased in November 2025. As reported by WREG, the complaint asks the court to order the town to cover the claimed $22,320 in back wages and to award additional damages from Mayor Noeman personally. Court records show a summons was issued to the town and to Noeman in his official capacity.
Board Split and Meeting Records
Public records show the lawsuit is just the latest flare-up in an ongoing tug-of-war between the mayor and a majority of the Board of Aldermen over personnel decisions and who controls the purse strings.
The board's Nov. 6, 2025, special-call minutes record a 4–1 vote to continue Jewell's employment. A separate Jan. 6, 2026, meeting record shows aldermen voting to order his back pay and to remove locks from municipal fuel tanks following disputes about access and spending.
The minutes depict a board repeatedly passing measures that the mayor said he would not "recognize," including motions to temporarily curb his authority to sign checks while payroll and other financial questions were sorted out. On paper, at least, the board kept trying to move city business along while the political temperature in the room climbed.
Longer History of Fiscal Scrutiny
The current fight is unfolding under the shadow of ongoing state oversight of Mason's finances. A March 2023 investigative report from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury detailed payroll irregularities and control failures inside town government and notes the Comptroller assumed supervisory authority over Mason's finances in March 2022.
That backdrop helps explain why meetings over routine business have turned into lengthy debates over procedures, contracts, and spending authority, with Jewell's employment and paychecks caught in the middle.
Claims, Court Status and What’s Next
The complaint seeks back wages along with compensatory and punitive damages, reiterating claims of breach of contract, retaliation, and unjust enrichment against the town and the mayor. WREG reports the Tipton County Circuit Court clerk's office says no hearing date has been set so far. Jewell's attorney, Jeff Ward, told the outlet he hopes a motion will be heard on March 30 if the parties can agree on a schedule.
Filed court papers are available as public records at the Tipton County courthouse in Covington, and county and town websites host meeting minutes and agendas that lay out the dispute in often painstaking detail. For court scheduling and clerk contact information, residents can visit the official Tipton County site at tiptonco.com.
