Millersville city attorney admits he generated reports used by conspiracy cop, but denies conflict of interest (2024)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Bryant Kroll wears a lot of hats.

He's the attorney representing the embattled City of Millersville. He also represents Mayor Tommy Long, who faces accusations of misconduct in an ouster suit. Plus, he's the personal attorney for Police Chief Bryan Morris and Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor, representing them in a lawsuit against the City of Ridgetop.

In addition, Kroll now admits he used his old law firm's accounts to generate research reports that have fueled some of Shawn Taylor's bizarre conspiracy theories — even as Kroll encouraged the Millersville Board of Commissioners not to hold a special meeting to investigate the city's so-called conspiracy cop.

Kroll insisted he sees no conflicts, although he admitted he now faces an ethics investigation by the state board that regulates attorneys.

"Is there a complaint against you with the board?" NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked Kroll.

"Several," he admitted.

"On this issue of your representation of multiple people?"

"Uh-huh," he acknowledged.

"And what is the status?"

"The status of it is, it is pending, and it's going to take a long time for it to be resolved," he responded.

On Monday, NewsChannel 5 Investigates went to the Millersville Board of Commissioners to ask about Shawn Taylor's conspiracy theories. Last year, Taylor appeared on this podcast where he speculated that the Covenant School shooting was actually staged.

We never expected the city attorney to inject himself into the conversation.

NewsChannel 5 asked Mayor Tommy Long, "Does he not owe the Covenant families an apology?"

Kroll interrupted. "I thought he said he didn't know what to believe."

We turned to Kroll, "Are you representing him or the city?"

"I represent the city, Phil."

Kroll insisted none of his representations violate any ethical rules, claiming that the Millersville charter requires him to represent the mayor in the ouster suit.

The attorney behind that suit has filed a motion to require Kroll to drop out of the case.

After NewsChannel 5 Investigates raised concerns about Taylor's bizarre ideas, two commission members asked for a special meeting to investigate Shawn Taylor's hiring.

At this week's commission work session, Kroll complained about a NewsChannel 5 report titled: "Don't investigate my client, conspiracy cop's attorney tells his other client, the City of Millersville."

The attorney claimed he never encouraged the commission not to investigate Taylor.

"I never once said that," Kroll told NewsChannel 5 Investigates after the meeting.

So we read the words from his own email: "I strongly advise reconsidering the proposed course of action for scheduling a special-called meeting."

"Sure, did," Kroll admitted. "It's only my duty to advise them what the legal implications are."

We wanted to know, "What are the legal implications of not investigating him?"

"Not investigating him? He's already had his background check conducted. He's already passed the psychological assessment."

David Gregory and Cristina Templet were the two commissioners who asked for the special meeting.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates related, "I asked Bryant Kroll. I said, 'Isn't there a liability in not investigating?'"

Templet readily agreed with that notion, "100 percent."

We noted that Kroll denied any such liability.

"Of course not," Templet shot back. "He's a terrible attorney."

In the meeting Kroll also insisted that NewsChannel 5 was wrong when we reported Taylor's conspiracy theories have become a subject of interest in at least one of the lawsuits in which he represented Taylor.

"That's absolutely false," he insisted.

But NewsChannel 5 Investigates found another podcast video in which Taylor acknowledged that people representing the city of Ridgetop had been tracking his conspiracy theories — theories that, he claimed, led to him being fired.

"Just so you know, there's an attorney in Nashville that's been paying attention to these podcasts," he added.

And in another of his conspiracy videos, he showed a background check on one of the public officials he has targeted.

Zoom in, and you'll see it was run through "The Blackburn Firm."

That's Bryant Kroll's old law firm.

The owner of that firm denied any knowledge of those reports run by his former associate.

"This is highly inappropriate, a misuse of that research service and was done without my knowledge," Gary Blackburn said.

But in a text message, Kroll insisted those searches "directly related" to his legal work.

"Shawn Taylor was a consultant on numerous cases based on his expertise, and we also used him as a process server on numerous occasions," he explained.

"Those LexisNexis records are all public records that were accessed and utilized as part of the due diligence required of lawyers in litigation and in anticipation of litigation."

"You know that I cannot disclose the identity of clients and former clients without their permission, but they knew Shawn had the information at the time and expressly gave him permission to use it."

His text did not address the potential conflict of him advising the Board of Commissioners about conspiracy theories that may, in part, be based on his own research.

As for the commissioners who called for the special meeting to review Taylor's hiring, they worry their attorney is more concerned about protecting Millersville's conspiracy cop than he is in protecting Millersville.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, "Should he continue as city attorney?"

"Absolutely not," Cristina Templet said.

David Gregory added, "No way."

"Major conflict of interest," Templet continued.

Again, Gregory added, "No way."

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