Shegerian & Associates: Charleston County Lawsuit Sheds Light on Harassment in Sheriff's Office
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, May 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A lawsuit filed in December 2018 by a Charleston County Sheriff's Office detective has revealed further details of a 2017 workplace harassment investigation that resulted in 2 employee firings and a disciplinary action against another.
In June 2017, Rickie Biggs was selected to become a detective in the Charleston County Sheriff's Office Major Metro Case Unit, where, according to the lawsuit, Biggs was the only female. She claims she was subjected unwelcome sexual advances, but could not report them due to the sheriff's office having an insufficient reporting system.
Although she was scared she would face retaliation, two other detectives in the unit reported seeing Biggs harassed by her sergeant and reported it to their lieutenant. The suit says that Biggs was upset when the findings of the internal investigation went public. It is claimed that during a meeting between Biggs, other detectives, and commanding officers, the senior staff reprimanded the other detectives for reporting the harassment.
Lt. John Plunkett and Sgt. Matthew McGaillard were both terminated following the investigation. Sgt. Matthew Euper was suspended and placed on a six-month employment probation.
In July 2018 Biggs sent an unlawful employment practices charge to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Biggs is seeking a jury trial, alleging she suffered harassment, discrimination, retaliation and a civil rights violation under Title VII.
Carney Shegerian, the founder of Los Angeles-based employee rights law firm Shegerian & Associates, has weighed in on the suit.
"The harassment and retaliation that Rickie Biggs faced in the sheriff's office makes a mockery of the corrections system," Shegerian says. "Every employer needs to have a reporting system in place for the safety of their employees."
About Shegerian & Associates:
Shegerian & Associates has won clients over $300 million in employment-based disputes and maintains a 98% success rate. We have offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and New York.
Media Contact:
Pace Public Relations
Kara Ryan
[email protected]
SOURCE Shegerian & Associates
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