Butler County recently received the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint filed by the county chief clerk, alleging she was the target of discrimination by Commissioner Jim Eckstein because she is female.

Amy Wilson initially filed the complaint in December, but the county did not receive the full complaint until May.

In the complaint, Wilson alleges Eckstein discriminated against her based on her gender, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and she said she has suffered retaliation for reporting his conduct.

Wilson of Center Township has been the chief clerk since November 2012. She first was hired by the county in 2008 as Commissioner Dale Pinkerton’s administrative assistant.

She said she has been subject to a hostile work environment, causing emotional distress and mental anguish.

Wilson initially filed a sex discrimination complaint with the county in December 2012.

She said in the EEOC complaint she has been subjected to hostile behavior from Eckstein since that filing.

In the complaint, Wilson said Eckstein exhibits similar behavior with other female county employees.

The complaint further alleges that Eckstein, following Wilson’s initial complaint to the county, focused on her time sheets from when she worked as Pinkerton’s administrative assistant. In May 2014, Eckstein submitted a complaint to the state attorney general alleging abuse of the county’s compensation policy.

The attorney general said it did not have jurisdiction and referred the complaint to the county district attorney, who said the matter was not a criminal matter.

The complaint said Wilson was cleared of any criminal misconduct. However, Wilson said Eckstein reported to the media he had gone to the attorney general with his accusations. She said in the complaint Eckstein continued to attack her publicly, and she believed the attacks were done to humiliate her and to undermine her authority.

On Oct. 31, Eckstein wrote a disciplinary warning for Wilson alleging “unsatisfactory conduct,” saying her use of vacation time was irresponsible. Wilson said the vacation time she took was approved and consistent with county policy.

That same day, Eckstein wrote a second disciplinary warning, alleging Wilson failed to keep county revenues and expenditures current. In her complaint, Wilson said she always keeps finances current, and alleged Eckstein has disseminated these warnings to people who were not authorized to receive them.

Wilson also said Eckstein in November 2014 proposed cutting her pay following the sale of the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

She said Eckstein provided no basis for a pay cut, and she said she had significantly less interaction with Sunnyview than other positions. Wilson further said some positions, filled with men, had more interaction with Sunnyview and were not targeted for pay cuts.

Wilson deferred comment to her attorney, Vicki Horne.

Horne, a Pittsburgh attorney, said Wilson has a lot of respect for the county and the office of commissioner, but said the circumstances made filing the complaint necessary.

She said Wilson filed the complaint with “deep regret,” but said she felt she had to uphold her rights.

In response, Eckstein said he is “innocent.”

“These are false and malicious claims without merit,” Eckstein said.

He said the sole purpose of the complaint is to denigrate him and his family.

“I thought citizens of the United States were innocent until proven guilty. Has the law changed?” Eckstein said.

As far as the two warnings for Wilson he wrote in October, he said the vacation time Wilson took was during the time the county works on its budget, when he said other county employees were working longer hours.

For the second complaint, he claims Wilson failed to add about $900,000 in Act 13 impact fee money to the county budget.

“That’s my oversight responsibility,” Eckstein said about writing the warnings.

County solicitor Mike English declined to comment.

This is the second EEOC complaint filed about Eckstein’s alleged actions since he took office.

Joyce Ainsworth in 2012 alleged Eckstein mistreated her during a commissioners meeting. She was director of county Children and Youth Services at that time, and now is director of human services.

The commissioners later settled that case by agreeing to attend training sessions covering such topics as bullying in the workplace and issuing a statement of support for Ainsworth.