The final case in a six-year saga between Denise Mathis, the former director of the now defunct Council on Aging, and a number of local nonprofits could be headed for a jury trial.

The case stems from the events in 2006 that led to the dissolution of the agency.

Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg presided over a two-day summary judgment hearing in Jackson County late last month. Thornburg will decide whether the claims in civil suits filed against Haywood County and a number of nonprofit agencies in the county will be scheduled for trial, dismissed or handled through other means.

Mathis claims she was maliciously prosecuted by Haywood County, Mountain Projects, Haywood Christian Ministry, United Way, the federal farm service agency and Haywood Community Connections and their ...