“The photo was just the latest in a series of unrelenting acts of sexual harassment, resulting in a hostile work environment at the Clark County Sheriff’s department,” according to court records filed by her attorneys, Jeffrey M. Silverstein of Dayton and John D. Smith of Springboro.
Ben Hunt, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office’s civilian human resources and labor relations administrator, declined to comment on Halburnt’s claims.
Hunt said the office learned about the lawsuit from the Springfield News-Sun and has not officially been served with court papers.
Halburnt alleges she brought the issue with the photo to the attention of multiple supervisors, including Lt. Phil Sanders, who allegedly told Halburnt to “erase it (the photo) and not let anyone know that it bothered” her, Silverstein and Smith wrote in court documents.
Sanders also told her that she could file a formal complaint, which she did on Nov. 8, 2011, according to the lawsuit.
An internal investigation found in April 2013 that sexual harassment did occur, but officials were unable to determine who was responsible for the incident, according to court documents.
The investigation also found that an original investigation did not conform to the expectations of “an internal investigation at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office,” Silverstein and Smith stated in the lawsuit.
Halburnt is now on leave from the department because of the harassment and discrimination she faced at the department, Silverstein said.
She suffered emotional distress and lost wages and will continue to suffer in the future, Silverstein and Smith wrote in the lawsuit.
County Administrator Nathan Kennedy said the alleged incident does not involve any wrongdoing by commissioners, but the board is typically named in any lawsuit involving the county.
Clark County Commissioner John Detrick said he learned about the lawsuit from the News-Sun.
“I have to look into it because I’m totally unfamiliar with it,” Detrick said.
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