WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
Hagens Berman has filed a lawsuit against Snohomish County, owner and operator of Denney Juvenile Justice Center youth detention facility where attorneys allege a former detention officer faced discrimination and retaliation for her reporting sexual harassment. According to attorneys, Snohomish County’s failures and those of Denney supervisors allowed the behavior to persist. “Despite the ongoing nature and awareness of this conduct, Denney staff and supervisors failed to take adequate steps to prevent, discourage, or correct the harassment, and in some instances responded with dismissive, minimalizing, or retaliatory conduct,” the lawsuit states.
DISCRIMINATION & RETALIATION EXPLAINED
According to the lawsuit, after she was hired in December 2024, the lawsuit’s plaintiff worked with detention officer James Jordan in their roles supervising and caring for detained minors. During this time, she witnessed Jordan acting inappropriately toward detained minors. According to the lawsuit the plaintiff discussed these actions directly with Jordan, to which he responded through a series of retaliatory acts directed at her including verbal harassment, bullying and creation of a “severe and pervasive hostile work environment,” according to the lawsuit.
Incident reports filed by the plaintiff detail ongoing aggressive comments made to her by detained minors, including threats of explicit violence toward her and her family, and sexually suggestive and demeaning language.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY’S ALLEGED FAILURES
Attorneys say Snohomish County’s failures and those of Denney supervisors allowed Officer Jordan’s behavior to persist.
After consistent appeals to Jordan’s supervisors failed to elicit any response, the lawsuit’s plaintiff submitted an official, formal complaint against him detailing “the toxic experience Plaintiff was enduring as a Juvenile Detention Officer at Denney.” She then received a letter informing her she was “under investigation” herself, without any further information. Soon after, she was terminated.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT & EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS LAW FIRM
Hagens Berman’s experienced attorneys are armed with resources and compassion for representing victims of abuse, including inappropriate workplace behavior and toxic work environments. Our firm has fought to hold alleged abusers accountable for their actions. It is our goal to do everything within our power to use the law to achieve that end. The firm is currently pursing active litigation against Snohomish County related to its failure to protect detained minors from abuse.
Our firm is also experienced in employment law and protects workers from exploitation and abuse. Our legal team takes a comprehensive approach to rooting out systemic workplace abuses through in-depth investigation and expert strategies. Those who have been subjected to this kind of behavior and/or retaliation deserve every opportunity to have their day in court, to be heard and believed, and to obtain peaceful resolution.
