The two top officials at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office are being represented by new attorneys in a federal sex discrimination lawsuit filed by a former investigator, records show.

Attorneys Robert Lockwood and Mark Maclin of the law firm Wilmer & Lee recently requested to withdraw from representing Sheriff Mike Blakely and Chief Deputy Fred Sloss. The men are being sued by Leslie Ramsey, a former Sheriff’s Office investigator.

Blakely and Sloss are now being represented by Rick Howard and April McKay of the Montgomery-based law firm Holtsford Gilliland Higgins Hitson & Howard P.C. According to the firm’s website, it’s specialities include insurance defense litigation and governmental defense litigation.

Attorney Donald R. Rhea of Gadsden-based firm Rhea, Boyd & Rhea will also be representing Blakely and Sloss.

Maclin and Lockwood will continue to represent the Limestone County Commission and Commission Chairman Collin Daly, which are also named in the lawsuit. Maclin is the County Commission’s regular attorney.

U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon issued an order March 1 setting a date of Sept. 7, 2020, in the lawsuit. The case will be tried at the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Decatur.

Kallon’s order set a pretrial conference date of July 28, 2020.

Ramsey filed suit Jan. 11 against Blakely and Sloss. In the lawsuit, she alleges she was sexually assaulted by Sloss and faced retaliation and demotion when she filed a complaint.

LCSO denied Ramsey’s claims, which also included allegations of other investigators losing equipment and evidence and not being reprimanded. Ramsey also alleged other employees received preferential treatment.

Last month, Blakely fired Ramsey, though the Sheriff’s Office did not provide cause for her termination. Ramsey had been with the sheriff’s office for 15 years and was promoted to investigator in September 2007.

Following the termination, Ramsey’s attorney, Philip DeFatta of Huntsville-based Watson McKinney LLP, said he believed the termination to be unlawful and that Ramsey would appeal the decision.