Doerr named in lawsuit
A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges sexual misconduct by the county's president judge, as well as workplace discrimination against a Butler County probation officer.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania by attorney Edward Olds of Olds Russ Saenz Marquette & Peace, Pittsburgh, on behalf of an unnamed woman, referred to as Jane Doe in the documents.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are President Judge Thomas Doerr; Thomas Holman, court administrator; and Douglas Ritson, chief probation officer; as well as the Butler County Court and the 50th Judicial District.
“The conduct of the defendants has injured Doe in multiple ways. She has lost income and the opportunity to advance in her career and develop the full extent of her capacities and garner experience as a probation officer, she has suffered great emotional injury, loss of reputation and other personal injuries,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit states that the woman met Doerr at a Christmas party in 2004, and after that event, Doerr called Doe a number of times, insisting they meet. She eventually went to Doerr's chambers on a Friday evening in February 2005. The two were alone in the courthouse that evening and engaged in sexual intercourse, the lawsuit states.
That evening Doerr stated that it would be a “business” relationship, according to the lawsuit, and that the prospect that Doe would be hired to serve as a probation officer was implicit and was discussed that evening. Doerr suggested that he would do what he could to help Doe get a job with the probation office, according to the lawsuit.
Over the next several months, the lawsuit alleges that Doerr used his influence to have Doe hired in August 2005. After she was hired, the lawsuit claims that Doerr continued a sexual relationship with Doe, and the woman “felt that she had little choice and did not resist his command,” when he summoned her to his chambers for sex.
The sexual encounters lasted for four years, according to the lawsuit, which also claims that Holman and Ritson began to develop “resentment, antipathy and anger” toward her because of her access to and contact with Doerr, and treated her differently.
The lawsuit claims Doe is the victim of workplace discrimination, including involuntary reassignments and harassment.
In February 2016, Doe contacted the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and indicated her intent to file a Charge of Discrimination. The lawsuit claims that when Doe told her superiors that she was filing the charge her job performance was reviewed as retaliation.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Olds declined to elaborate on the lawsuit.
As of press time, Doerr, Holman and Ritson did not return calls for comment.
