HARRISBURG — A former employee is suing York County and its Department of Emergency Services, citing alleged defamation, invasion of privacy, deprivation of liberty interest, illegal search and seizure, and wrongful termination.
Douglas L. Eash filed a complaint on Jan. 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania against the defendants, alleging they terminated his employment based on false accusations.
According to the complaint, Eash has suffered damages, losses and other harms, including embarrassment, loss of professional esteem and reputation, deprivation of procedural due process rights, and emotional harm, as a result of defendant's malicious conduct of terminating his employment as operations supervisor, a position he had held from February 2007 until July 2, 2018.
Plaintiff claims his termination was based on false sexual harassment complaints from a fellow employee, CH, and that the County of York did not conduct a thorough investigation. He also claims the County of York unlawfully confiscated his personal cell phone to look at his private text chat and pictures.
The plaintiff says the defendants denied him meaningful due process to clear his good name, denied him the opportunity to adequately perform his work duties, refused to permit him to leave until he turned over his personal cell phone, and terminated him without careful investigation of the complaints against him.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against defendant for compensatory damages in an amount in excess of $150,000, punitive and economic damages, equitable, injunctive, and/or declarative relief, attorney’s fees, expert witness fees, costs, expenses, and interest. He is represented by Jeremy Donham of Donham Law in Dellslow, West Virginia.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Case No. is 19-cv-141.