Judge denies Doerr's motion to strike
A federal judge has ruled that the civil lawsuit filed by a county probation officer against Butler County President Judge Thomas Doerr can continue as-filed, after his legal team attempted to have certain aspects of the case struck from the public record.
The order, filed Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Bissoon, states that Doerr's motion to strike specific allegations dealing with his and Starnes previous sexual history was denied because “the Court finds that the challenged averments are arguably relevant to, among other things, Plaintiff's claim that her interactions with Doerr after ending their sexual relationship created a hostile work environment and violated her First Amendment right to free association. To the extent the challenged allegations are potentially prejudicial and/or likely to confuse a fact-finder, the Court will have the ability to address these concerns through appropriate pretrial orders and/or careful jury selection, if the action proceeds to that stage.”
Doerr, through his attorney Thomas McGinnis, attempted to have several allegations of the lawsuit dismissed in a motion filed Tuesday.
A full report will appear in Friday's Butler Eagle.
