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A part-time Westmoreland County deputy sheriff on Tuesday filed a federal gender discrimination lawsuit against the county and her boss alleging she has been repeatedly bypassed for promotions in favor of less-qualified men.
Lacey L. Saxton, 23, of Derry seeks unspecified damages and attorneys fees, according to the civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. She claims Sheriff Jon Held's promotion practices violate rights guaranteed under the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.
Held said he had not been served a copy of the lawsuit but denied the allegations.
“I can tell you that we do not discriminate in this office,” Held said, noting the last two promotions to full-time deputy status in late 2016 and in January went to women. “We promote here based on job performance … not to protect anybody.”
Held said he was the first sheriff to promote a female, Patricia Fritz, to chief deputy — “and that was back in May 2014.”
According to the department's roster of deputies, 12 of its 75 active deputies are women.
In her lawsuit, Saxton maintains she has done her job in a “fully acceptable manner” since being hired in 2014 and has applied numerous times for a full-time position.
“The last time she applied for a full-time position was in or around November 2016. However, on or about Nov. 14, 2016, (Held) promoted a less qualified man,” the five-page lawsuit states. “Ms. Saxton has complained repeatedly that she has been treated less favorably than her male counterparts because they have been promoted, because she has not been scheduled the same amount of shifts as other part-time male deputies and because she has not been permitted to pick up additional shifts when available.”
The lawsuit contends that female deputy sheriffs in the department were aware that:
• Statements allegedly were made by former Chief Deputy Paul McCommons “that girls who are attractive are better off in public relations.”
• The department practice was “that women are not capable of working second shift in the sheriff's office because they are women.”
• Females haven't been eligible for promotions into the gun registry office “because … (Held) believes women are unsuited for such work.”
Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer.
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