Newton County Judge’s Administrative Assistant Courtney Lott resigned and filed a complaint

Newton County Courthouse

Newton County Judge’s Administrative Assistant Courtney Lott has resigned and filed a complaint with the TWC and the Ethics Committee.

Newton County Judge Ronnie Cochran said the resignation stems from an audit performed by the Newton County Auditor’s office surrounding the rentals of the Newton civic center.

According to Judge Cochran, if money is brought into the office, it must be turned into the treasurer’s office by the end of the workday. Cochran does believe it is Lott's fault for not keeping accurate records, but said, “I do not believe she embezzled money.”

Lott alleges that the work-related issues were with the Newton County Auditor Sherry Moore. “This is retaliation for a letter sent to the district judges regarding her pay and budget… and on Monday, she decided to audit me…” said Lott. Lott alleges in her complaint that this was politically motivated.

Lott went on to say, “I’m not fighting for my job... I’m fighting because I am the most recent in a long list of victims of hostile work environments over petty personal differences.”

“I stopped renting the civic center for months at a time due to disrepair and, with my supervisor’s permission, did not charge some who had complaints...” said Lott.

Cochran said, “The investigation will show that the majority were non-profits, churches or schools. Our policy is not to charge non-profits.”

Lott took over managing the rental of the civic center in March 2025.

Cochran is currently seeking re-election as Newton County Judge.

Moore did not provide a comment at the time of this publication.