EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - Snohomish County agreed to pay $625,000 to settle a fourth discrimination lawsuit filed by an employee who accused a former county prosecutor of inappropriate behavior.
The Snohomish County Council authorized the settlement Monday to end the lawsuit brought by former Deputy Prosecutor Dana Bittinger, The Daily Herald reports.
Bittinger’s lawsuit filed in October echoed allegations made by other former employees claiming Mark Roe spoke and acted inappropriately while serving as the county’s top prosecutor from 2009 until his retirement in 2018.
Under the terms of the settlement, county officials are barred from discussing the agreement.
The settlement with Bittinger, who worked for the prosecuting attorney’s office until 2019, brings the amount of county payouts to the former employees to more than $1.3 million. The county did not admit fault in the settlements.
Under the terms of Bittinger’s settlement, $264,000 will go toward attorney fees and costs.
Roe declined to comment Monday on the settlement, saying he was not part of the discussion or negotiations.
Roe previously called the bulk of allegations made by the first plaintiff, Bob Lenz, “either completely false and untrue, or grossly twisted and distorted.”
Lenz claimed he faced retaliation for complaining about the workplace atmosphere and the county agreed to a $175,000 settlement in February.
The council authorized a $250,000 settlement in December with former Deputy Prosecutor Theodor Mueser, who said he suffered “adverse employment actions” after complaining about an environment that made men “feel threatened and harassed.”
The council also approved a $325,000 settlement in December to end a lawsuit filed by Kari King, a former victim advocate who claimed the county “did nothing to stop the discriminatory actions” by Roe.
Roe previously acknowledged he engaged in “playful banter” and acted casually outside the courtroom, but denied King’s claims.
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