A Clark County Juvenile Court probation counselor who filed a wrongful termination complaint against the county last March was awarded $125,000 in a confidential settlement over the summer.
Mikki Keller had worked at the juvenile court for about 27 years when she was fired Aug. 28, 2014, after a disciplinary hearing. Her complaint filed in Clark County Superior Court claimed that Keller had no history of formal discipline, and that the termination was retaliation for complaining about gender discrimination in the workplace.
The Camas resident and the county reached the agreement June 16, and her complaint was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled, according to the settlement. The Columbian received a copy of the settlement agreement Friday following a public records request last month.
Keller’s complaint had also listed as defendants the juvenile court and probation office, as well as Juvenile Court Administrator Pat Escamilla and Public Records Officer Eric Gilman.
In addition to her settlement award, the county also paid $62,500 to Skrinar Law Offices in Tacoma, which represented Keller.
According to court records, Keller filed several discrimination complaints between 2010 and 2014, including a formal complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that alleged preferential treatment of men over women and stated there were no female supervisors. After she filed the complaints, the workplace discrimination became more serious and retaliatory, the lawsuit claimed.
Keller was placed on administrative leave in May 2014 after complaining to human resources in 2013 and early 2014 about inequality and gender discrimination in the workplace. The complaint alleged that while she was on leave, Gilman and Escamilla defamed her and wouldn’t let her talk with other employees.
Shortly before Keller was fired, Escamilla and Gilman provided a written list of accusations against her that mentioned termination as a possible disciplinary action. The complaint alleged that the accusations were specious, and that in some cases male supervisors forced subordinates to complain about Keller.
As part of the settlement, the county agreed to place Keller’s name on a placard in Juvenile Court honoring employees who have retired, and remove a written warning and notices or references to termination from her personnel file. Her records instead say she resigned to take early retirement. Keller is ineligible to be rehired by the county.
The county holds that the settlement is not an admission of liability, according to the settlement.
