Ex-Westmoreland chief deputy sheriff sues county, alleging discrimination
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A former Westmoreland County chief deputy sheriff claims in a federal civil lawsuit she was subjected to age and sex discrimination because she was the first woman to hold the supervisory position in a department dominated by men.
Patricia Fritz of Mt. Pleasant is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. She is suing the county; her former boss, Sheriff Jonathan Held; county commissioners Charles Anderson, Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas; and assistant solicitor David Regoli.
Held declined comment Monday.
“The county does not comment on pending litigation,” county solicitor Melissa A. Guiddy said.
In the lawsuit filed by Pittsburgh attorney Vicki Kuftic Horne, Fritz said she was hired as a deputy sheriff in 2010 and in 2014 appointed chief deputy. She claims discrimination and harassment began almost immediately after her promotion.
“Not only were the male deputies furious that an older female would supervise them, but Chief Fritz enforced existing policies and implemented important policy changes in the department to improve efficiency and preserve the budget. For example, Fritz was able to reduce overtime pay in the department equating to $300,000 in budget savings in her first year,” the 30-page lawsuit states.
She claims sheriff’s Cpl. Steven Felder, who is union president, openly objected to her promotion because she is a woman.
Fritz, 65, was fired in October 2018 shortly after a district judge found her guilty of a summary harassment charge in connection with a confrontation at the courthouse with Felder. In August, Senior Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Richard E. McCormick Jr. overturned the conviction.
According to the lawsuit, county commissioners repeatedly refused requests by Held to increase Fritz’s pay to the same levels as men with similar levels of responsibility in the county.
In early 2018, Regoli attempted in a one-on-one meeting “to force her retirement or resignation,” the lawsuit states.
After a subsequent confrontation between Fritz and Felder, commissioners suspended Fritz in August 2018, according to the complaint. Her county work car was confiscated, and she received a notice of termination in October 2018, the lawsuit said.
The complaint alleges discrimination based on sex, age and political affiliation, plus retaliation. She is seeking compensation for lost past and future wages and benefits, plus for physical harm, pain, suffering, and mental anguish. She also wants her attorney fees paid.
In September, after McCormick overturned the conviction, Fritz formally asked the county to reinstate her to the chief deputy position, but her attorney said she never received a response.
In October, lawyers for the county went to court asking a judge to order Fritz to return confidential records they claim she took from the courthouse.
The county contends Fritz absconded with personnel records potentially related to complaints lodged against other sheriff’s department employees, including one that involved the deputy who accused her last year of harassment, according to court documents.
Common Pleas Judge Chris Scherer scheduled a hearing Dec. 16 on the county’s allegations.