Lawsuit alleges City Council chair engaged in illegal activity

By , Daily Memphian Updated: November 02, 2026 3:18 PM CT | Published: November 02, 2026 2:43 PM CT

The suit says Jana Swearengen-Washington fired Hyman after she refused to use taxpayer money for the chairwoman’s personal requests.

Topics

Memphis City Council Jana Swearengen-Washington
Samuel Hardiman

Samuel Hardiman

Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.


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