Ousted Horry auditor-elect, coworker at center of lawsuit over police investigation
Two of the women—including the county’s auditor-elect—ousted from a county office now find themselves as defendants in a slander lawsuit over statements that led to a police investigation.
Beth Calhoun, the Horry County elected auditor, and Deputy Auditor Judy Clardy are both named in a lawsuit that Sandra Beckwith filed last week in Horry County court.
Calhoun and Clardy were both employees in the Auditor’s office under current Auditor Lois Eargle. Calhoun was fired and Clardy said she quit after learning her firing was imminent. The women claimed they were forced out as a consequence of the 2020 election, which Calhoun won after Eargle did not seek reelection.
Calhoun and Clardy were essentially the number two and number three in the office before they left.
In the race, Eargle endorsed Horry County Deputy Treasurer R.A. Johnson to replace her instead of Calhoun. When Calhoun won, she previously told The Sun News, her relationship with Eargel soured. An Horry County Sheriff Office’s investigation — sparked by Clardy — into a treasurer’s office employee further deteriorated Eargle’s relationship with the two.
It’s now that sheriff’s investigation, which is the focus of a civil lawsuit.
Clardy said the suit was “frivolous,” but declined to comment further as she has not read the lawsuit. Messages seeking comment by The Sun News left for Calhoun on Monday.
The lawsuit
The suit alleges that Clardy and Calhoun told Horry County Sheriff’s investigators that Beckwith, a fellow employee, went into Clardy’s office and took personal items out of desk and cabinet doors. Clardy also said Beckwith had a history of taking items from people’s desks, the lawsuit claims.
The filing alleges that Clardy made other comments, including calling Beckwith a “serial thief.”
Investigators later told Clardy there was no evidence of the theft, the suit states. Clardy then gave a list of other employees to interview and insisted that Beckwith was a thief.
The additional investigation turned up no evidence of a theft, the filing contends.
Calhoun and Clardy continued to make statements that Beckwith was a thief, the suit states. Beckwith calls the duo’s statements slander.
She also noted the accusations were published in the newspaper and on the internet.
The statements hurt Beckwith’s reputation and caused embarrassment, harassment and mental suffering. The suit asks for an unspecified amount of money.
