McKamey Manor sues TN AG over investigation into haunted house’s practices
LAWRENCE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The owner of a haunted house known for its intense tactics to frighten guests is now suing Tennessee’s Attorney General over his investigation into the attraction’s practices.
In a 32-page lawsuit filed in late March 2024, Russ McKamey claims Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s request for information in the investigation and recent inspections of his property by another state agency are in violation of his First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Skrmetti began raising concerns about the McKamey Manor’s operations following the release of a 2023 Hulu documentary in which past participants claimed there was no way to stop the tour of the haunted attraction, among other questionable practices.
READ: Russ McKamey VS Jonathan Skrmetti
(Courtesy: Russ McKamey) McKamey Manor 2019 (Photo: WKRN) McKamey Manor 2019 (Photo: WKRN) McKamey Manor 2019 (Photo: WKRN)
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The documentary entitled “Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House” featured five people who had previously been guests of the manor and included footage of the tours that was taken by McKamey and posted online.
“A 2019 promotional video from McKamey Manor’s YouTube page depicts some of the horrors visitors are subjected to, which includes getting dragged via heavy chains or locked into confined spaces while water pours in,” Skrmetti wrote in a letter to McKamey on Oct. 31, 2023, announcing his intentions to request documents and information as part of an investigation.
SEE ALSO: Petition to shutdown ‘Torture Chamber’ in Lawrence County, TN
In the documentary, McKamey is quoted as saying, “We’re known for no quitting and no safe wording.” District Attorney Brent Cooper previously explained to News 2 torture is technically legal between two consenting adults, but anyone can revoke their consent at any time.
Part of Skrmetti’s concerns also related to past participants claiming they did not have access to a lengthy 40-page waiver that describes the risks involved with a tour before signing up and a $20,000 prize many have claimed is impossible to win.
In a statement provided following the filing of McKamey’s lawsuit, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said, “Attorney General Skrmetti’s focus is protecting Tennesseans. When the Attorney General’s Office hears allegations of serious consumer harms, we work hard to respond quickly.”
Lawsuit claims investigation is part of effort to prevent McKamey from ‘engaging in lawful conduct’
The McKamey Manor, which is located about an hour south of Nashville in Summertown, has been in the national spotlight for some time. Prior to the Hulu documentary, thousands of people signed a petition in 2019 to shut it down.
Deputies have also been called to the property several times in the past, with a criminal investigator for the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office interviewing McKamey in March 2018. However, the McKamey Manor remains open.
McKamey originally operated the manor out of San Diego before relocating to Lawrence County in 2017. In his letter, Skrmetti claimed McKamey relocated to Tennessee after his haunted attraction was shut down due to “public outcry.”
But according to McKamey, Skrmetti’s investigation is just a part of the “concerted effort to prevent [him] from engaging in lawful conduct on his private property.” The lawsuit states Skrmetti issued a request for information to McKamey on Nov. 15, 2023.
In that request, the attorney general reportedly asked for 18 productions of documents, 28 interrogatories and for McKamey to appear for sworn testimony, as well as an affidavit of compliance to attest to the accuracy of the written responses.
Some of the information sought included details on procedures to monitor the health and safety of participants, whether the business has ever facilitated medical treatment for a participant and whether any participants have ever sought medical treatment after a tour.
The lawsuit states Skrmetti made this request based on the belief that McKamey may have engaged in “unfair and deceptive acts or practices in violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977.”
However, McKamey argues Skrmetti is seeking information “far beyond any question of fairness or deception related to a purported consumer transaction” and more closely related to the “allegations of a more serious criminal nature made in the Hulu Documentary.”
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“Providing documents, information, and testimony all under oath to Defendant Skrmetti is absolutely not necessary for him to conduct this investigation,” the lawsuit said, adding that anything said under oath could be used against McKamey for criminal prosecution.
On the same day that McKamey received the request for information, he said an anonymous complaint was filed in the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and State Fire Marshal’s Office regarding a barn on his property being used as a “special amusement facility.”
The complaint reportedly resulted in an inspection of McKamey’s property on Nov. 21, 2023.
Afterward, McKamey was allegedly advised that “continued inspections” would occur until he completed a sworn affidavit admitting to three code violations related to exit signs and fire detection systems and swearing not to use certain parts of his property.
McKamey’s lawyers argue “no such affidavit” is required by any law in Tennessee. The lawsuit goes on to state that this “coordinated targeting of Mr. McKamey thinly conceals – and, in part, admits – [the state’s] interest in creating long-sought criminal exposure for Mr. McKamey.”
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McKamey is asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction keeping Skrmetti and his agents from forcing him to comply with the request for information, as well as a preliminary injunction putting a stop to the inspections of his property.
“Defendants are free to investigate whatever they and other State leadership believe to be within the scope of their duties to protect the public, but they cannot be permitted to disregard Mr. McKamey’s rights in the course of such investigation,” the lawsuit states.
Davis Griffin, the attorney representing McKamey, echoed that sentiment in a statement provided to News 2 on Monday, April 1. His full statement is below.
“In the course of their crusade, neither Defendant took seriously Mr. McKamey’s invocation of his constitutional rights — perhaps now they will. If either Defendant takes another step towards forcing Mr. McKamey to comply with their unconstitutional demands, we will amend our Complaint to include additional retaliation claims. Every Tennessean should understand that they are each simply one misunderstanding away from being targeted by a coordination of government power just like Mr. McKamey.”
Davis Griffin, attorney for Russ McKamey
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