A veteran employee has taken legal action against a Pennsylvania county, alleging severe workplace discrimination and retaliation. Joanne Fisher filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on June 13, 2024, targeting The County of Delaware.
Joanne Fisher, who has been employed by Delaware County for nearly five decades, claims that she has faced discrimination based on her sex and age within the Department of Emergency Services (DES). Fisher alleges that Tim Boyce, the Director of DES, exhibited illegal sexual favoritism by providing better pay and opportunities to younger females he found sexually attractive. According to Fisher's complaint, this discriminatory behavior led to her enduring inferior pay and working conditions compared to her male counterparts and younger female employees. "Defendant provided favored pay, benefits, treatment and opportunities to males as well as younger employees," states the complaint.
Fisher's allegations are grounded in several federal laws including the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Equal Pay Act. She also seeks relief under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. The plaintiff is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for what she describes as years of systemic discrimination and retaliation.
The details laid out in Fisher's complaint paint a troubling picture. After retiring in 2014 from her role as Office Manager and Scheduler at DES, she was asked to return part-time but soon found herself marginalized under Boyce’s leadership starting in 2016. Despite repeated requests for additional hours and better working conditions, Fisher says she received only empty assurances from management. Her work hours were cut back significantly since 2021, forcing her to share a cubicle with another older female employee while males enjoyed better facilities and higher pay.
One particularly egregious instance cited in the complaint involves Boyce hiring an out-of-work hairdresser at a higher hourly rate than Fisher despite her extensive experience. This individual was later promoted to an executive assistant position with significant benefits after only a short tenure. Fisher believes this promotion was motivated by Boyce’s inappropriate personal interests rather than professional qualifications.
The lawsuit also highlights that other younger female employees received preferential treatment due to Boyce’s alleged sexual favoritism. "Plaintiff believes that there were some younger women who were the object of Boyce’s disgustingly personal sexual language," reads one part of the document.
Fisher's attempts to address these issues internally reportedly led to further retaliation rather than resolution. After filing a charge with the EEOC in January 2024, she learned that Boyce mocked her complaints within the department. Although Boyce was eventually suspended and removed from his position following media coverage and external pressure from legal actions involving other clients represented by Fisher's lawyer, no improvements have been made regarding her wages or working conditions.
Represented by attorney Mark D. Schwartz, Joanne Fisher is now asking for various forms of relief including backpay, front pay, compensatory damages for emotional distress, punitive damages where applicable, reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, liquidated damages under ADEA violations, and any other relief deemed just by the court.
The case is being overseen by Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg under Case ID: 2:24-cv-02606-MSG.