INDIAN RIVER SHORES — Town of Indian River Shores public safety officers, many of whom retired years ago, are set to go on trial in federal court Tuesday for allegations of workplace harassment and sexual discrimination over a 15-year period dating back to the late 1990s.
Former Shores public safety officer Samantha Haynes filed a federal complaint after being fired in April 2013, and that complaint led to a lawsuit scheduled to be tried in a Ft. Pierce courtroom next week.
Town Manager Robbie Stabe, who was a senior officer or Chief during the time frame of the allegations, said Thursday he has been advised by the Town’s attorney not to comment on the matter, “as we still may be in active litigation.”
Haynes alleges she was treated differently, more harshly than her male colleagues, that discipline and promotions were not fairly doled out and that she endured harassment focused on her gender and her sexuality.
Responses to the lawsuit contained in the court papers and filed by the Town’s attorneys deny all of Haynes’ allegations. Officers named in the suit continue to be employed by the Town and have been promoted through the ranks.
Court records show that the parties went through pre-trial mediation proceedings which did not result in a settlement. Attorneys over the past weeks, according to motions filed on the court docket, have been arguing about the admissibility of certain evidence related to Haynes’ personal life and marriage in the lead up to the trial.
Read more about this case from December 2014 coverage.