The lawsuit was filed on Feb. 7, 2012 in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas. A female employee who once worked for the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office filed the lawsuit against her former employer, Shawnee County. In the suit, she claims that during her employment she suffered both sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
There is not yet a scheduled trial date for the lawsuit seeking an unspecified amount of civil damages suffered by the woman. The female employee is seeking compensation for her past and future financial losses as well as physical and emotional pain and suffering. She says that not only did she suffer humiliation but also the loss of enjoyment of life. The lawsuit also seeks attorney’s fees for the expenses the woman has paid to rectify the wrongs claimed in the court documents.
The woman alleges three specific violations committed by the county during her employment: violation of the Equal Pay Act, civil rights violations and retaliation. The woman claims that she was paid less than male employees for the same position and was discriminated against in pay and promotion opportunities due to her gender. She also said that inappropriate statements, humiliation and intimidation, both physical and mental, created a hostile work environment.
When the female employee complained about the violations, the woman says that she was retaliated against. The retaliation came in the form of frivolous disciplinary actions, increased disciplinary penalties and targeted scrutiny of her actions. After she was forced to endure harassment and discrimination, the woman claims that her employment was then wrongfully terminated.
Source: The Topeka Capital-Journal, “Discrimination suit filed against county,” Tim Hrenchir, March 2, 2012