Investigation reveals that county clerk charged at least 219 couples an illegal ‘officiating fee’
BOLIVAR, Tenn. (WMC) - Hardeman County Clerk Tonet Griggs reimbursed $13,140 to the county’s general trust fund last week after an investigation revealed that she was illegally charging couples to officiate their weddings.
The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury announced the results of the nearly two-year-long investigation on Thursday.
Griggs was elected as county clerk in August 2022, and previously worked as a deputy clerk for 18 years.
County clerks are granted the right to solemnize marriages per Tennessee law, but it is illegal for them to charge a fee or demand compensation for officiating marriage ceremonies.
According to the comptroller’s office, Griggs charged and collected approximately $13,140 in unlawful fees to officiate at least 219 marriage ceremonies between Sept. 9, 2022, and July 24, 2024.
It was discovered that 56% of all couples who received marriage licenses in Hardeman County during this period were unlawfully charged extra.
The State of Tennessee does issue taxes and fees for applicants seeking marriage licenses. In Hardeman County, the marriage license fee is $95, and couples who complete a pre-marital counseling course only have to pay $35.
Investigators found that Clerk Griggs instructed her staff to tell couples who waived counseling that if they wished to be married in the clerk’s office, they would be charged an additional $60 officiating fee paid directly to the county clerk.
Griggs reportedly admitted to state investigators that she also charged this fee outside of the nearly two-year investigative window, beginning when she was elected.
According to the comptroller’s office, county clerks are allowed to accept tips from couples they marry. However, Griggs gave applicants no choice in paying her $60 officiating fee.
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