Former Harlan County school board attorney Susan Lawson responded Thursday to the allegation that she "apparently helped arrange for the fabricated photographs" that got David Dixon fired, a claim raised by his attorney in a recent circuit court motion.

She says she "did no such thing."

"I most certainly did not ask anyone to fabricate or alter any of these photographs," she said.

Lawson's statement comes after allegations of fraud were raised in a motion by attorney Jeffrey Blum on behalf of Dixon, former mining and carpentry teacher for Cumberland High School.

Dixon was fired eight years ago for taking provocative pictures of a 17-year-old student.

Blum is asking a circuit court judge to strike from the record the most revealing of the pictures, alleging that they were faked.

Judge Cletus Maricle ruled this week that he would not yet hear the evidence Blum said will show the pictures were not Dixon's.

Lawson said she "did not instruct anybody to alter these pictures or the negatives."

"It's not true," she said.

The allegation is based, in part, on a letter from Lawson to a Knoxville photo studio. The letter thanks Frank Distefano for his work in reconstructing the negatives which had been cut into pieces and making prints. Enclosed with the letter was a $294.72 check.

The letter reads: "Thank you for your efforts in piecing together the negatives I sent to you earlier. Largely due to your efforts, we were able to settle this case successfully with Mr. Dixon agreeing to take an unpaid medical leave of absence. ..."

Lawson said the "point of the letter was we're dealing with photographs that contain nude photographs of an underage person."

"I had to explain to the people in Knoxville what I had, because if I just sent it to them it would have been a problem. I was just thankful they were willing to take the photographs in a timely fashion so they could be used in the hearing."

"That letter was not written to thank them for doing anything improper," she said.

Blum said in court this week his motion contains "way more than an allegation."

"Over a dozen pieces of evidence, including a sworn affidavit from one of the photo developers who printed the exhibits, strongly suggest the exhibit photographs we have moved to strike were not pictures actually taken by David Dixon," Blum said in a later statement.

"I am confident we can prove something very wrong happened here and the exhibits should be struck," he said. "There were a number of people involved and we do not yet know what the role of each one was."

Lawson said she's disappointed this case is still being debated.

"It's unfortunate that he would continue this case," she said. "(It) certainly has been a hardship for the young woman and her family."