A civil suit filed in Preston County Circuit Court earlier this week makes numerous allegations against Preston County E911, the agency that controls and operates the 911 emergency dispatch facilities for Preston County.
In the lawsuit, plaintiff Kasey Loughrie, represented by the Toriseva Law Firm, states in September 2021 she was forced to leave her job of nearly two years at E911 due to what she believed was hostile work environment — where “vile, disgusting, and sexually graphic conversations” in the office were permitted and allowed. She also alleges mistreatment and unlawful retaliation from supervisors at the facility.
According to the suit, after Loughrie requested to be reduced to a part-time status at E911, only her benefits were reduced, but she was still working similar hours to full-time employees.
While considered a part-time employee, Loughrie said she was unable to accrue leave hours and lost many of the hours she had accrued as a full-time dispatcher, despite being told she would be paid for the accumulated leave over the course of several paychecks.
Loughrie also states she had reported several inappropriate and sexually explicit conversations by a co-worker and even began compiling a list of dates, times and names of those engaging in inappropriate behavior, but was ultimately told by supervisor Kendra Bourne that video and audio cameras in the dispatch center were not working so nothing could be done about it.
She also claims Duane Hamilton, director of E911 told her to “grow thicker skin” and refused to do anything to improve the work environment.
After reporting the inappropriate behavior to her supervisor, Loughrie believes they unlawfully retaliated against her by requiring her to find coverage for shifts she needed to take off while others were not required to do the same, forcing her to work weekend shifts, making last minute scheduling changes and writing her up for frivolous infractions of policies.
Earlier this year, another lawsuit against E911 was filed by former employee Kaylin Powers. Powers’ lawsuit makes similar accusations against the agency, particularly those alleging sexual harassment creating a hostile work environment, retaliation in violation of the state whistleblowers law and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
In the earlier lawsuit, Powers claims some supervisors would speak in graphic detail about their personal sex lives and ask her a “host of inappropriate, offensive, vulgar, and sexually explicit questions about her sexual life,” asking Powers questions like if she would “allow someone to [defecate] on her chest for $100,000” or “how much money would she need to sleep with a Black man.”
She also stated supervisors retaliated against her after she attempted to report coworkers’ inappropriate behavior.
The lawsuit filed by Powers is still in litigation and has yet to be decided.
Loughrie’s suit claims that due to the conduct of E911, she has suffered personal injuries and damages, including but not limited to suffering and mental anguish, past and future lost enjoyment of life, past and future humiliation, embarrassment, indignity, and shame.
A call to E911 administrative offices and an email to Hamilton for comment were not returned in time for publication. Toriseva Law Firm also could not be reached.
