A civil lawsuit against former deputy Ben Fields was settled just as jury selection was about to begin in a case accusing him of exchanging legal leniency for sexual favors.
The lawsuit, filed in January 2022 by Sabrina Adkins, alleged that Fields coerced her into sexual acts inside a judge’s chambers in Letcher County in exchange for allowing her to avoid paying court monitoring fees. Fields was working at the time as a certified court security officer.
The Letcher County Sheriff’s Department was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Adkins’ attorney Joe Childers confirmed Tuesday that both the department and Fields agreed to settle the claims on the same day the trial was scheduled to start. The terms of the settlement, including any payment, were not disclosed.
Childers said the agreement meant Adkins would not have to testify about the alleged abuse in court. He added that Adkins has been sober and undergoing therapy for about a year.
The case gained renewed public attention following the high-profile killing of Kevin Mullins, who was fatally shot inside his chambers in 2024. Former sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, was charged with Mullins’ murder and his criminal case is still pending.
Stines had previously been expected to testify in the civil trial involving Fields, though a judge later ruled his presence could distract jurors. Attorneys instead planned to use his prior deposition as testimony.
According to the lawsuit, Fields allegedly carried out the sexual acts in Mullins’ chambers because he believed there were no surveillance cameras in the room. While it remains unclear if cameras were installed at that time, the later shooting of Mullins in the same chambers was captured on video.
Fields has already faced criminal consequences in connection with the case. He pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, tampering with a monitoring device, and second-degree perjury. In January 2024, he was sentenced to six months in jail, a sentence he has since completed.
Adkins had been under Fields’ supervision between June 2021 and January 2022, according to court records.