Allegheny County and several top officials suspended the former deputy director of the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in 2013 because she's black, and then forced her resignation after she filed a discrimination complaint, the Lincoln-Lemington woman contends in a federal lawsuit filed Friday.
Lynette Drawn-Williamson worked at Shuman for more than 18 years, the lawsuit says. She is suing the county, the center, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald and County Manager William McKain.
A county spokeswoman declined comment.
Former director William T. "Jack" Simmons, left, and former deputy director Lynette Drawn-Williamson |
McKain suspended her in March 2013 for five days for failing to report to county police an incident between a staff member and a juvenile, even though there was no policy requiring such a report, the lawsuit says.
A white employee who had been responsible for investigating the incident wasn't disciplined and all of the other employees disciplined were black, the lawsuit says......