WESTMORELAND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVE LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT PAYOUT

Westmoreland County Commissioners have approved a $12,000 payout for the settlement of a lawsuit brought against the county by a former guard at the county jail.  The Trib reports that Bonita Hughey of Jeanette claimed in the lawsuit filed in 2019 that she was improperly fired after raising allegations of racial discrimination.  She had been on the job for just three months when she was let go in 2016.  Hughey, who is Black, claimed she was terminated after she repeatedly complained about being harassed by coworkers. She also claimed she was subjected to a racially hostile work environment, was punished for speaking out and was assigned jobs for which she was untrained. Westmoreland County Solicitor Melissa Guiddy said Thursday the settlement includes no admission to any of the allegations raised in Hughey’s lawsuit.