MORGANTOWN – A Fairmont woman says she was wrongly fired from her Monongalia County 911 call operator job after she investigated filing a grievance against her supervisors.
Michelle Riggleman filed her complaint December 28 in Monongalia Circuit Court against the Monongalia County Commission.
According to her complaint, Riggleman worked at the Monongalia Emergency Centralized Communications Agency for two years. MECCA is operated and funded by the Commission.
Toriseva
During her time there, Riggleman says she was one of several employees who wrote complaints relating to the bullying of an openly gay co-worker by MECCA supervisors. She says the coworker was harassed and bullied so much he resigned from the job.
She says she also voiced concerns about MECCA supervisors making remarks that were racially insensitive as well as disparaging to the LGBTQ community. In addition, she says she was subjected to sexually inappropriate comments by supervisors.
“Assistant Director (Bradley) Wilson has been heard on numerous occasions talking about new hires and that he bases the hires on their age and appearance,” the complaint states. “Riggleman has been told by other MECCA employees that Assistant Director Wilson had said that Ms. Riggleman’s appearance was a positive factor into the decision to hire her.”
She says she also heard “disgusting comments” about women who called into MECCA.
“A phone call came into MECCA from a woman alleging a rape, this call was handled by a MECCA supervisor,” the complaint states. “Following this call, Ms. Riggleman heard the supervisor say, ‘I hope that bitch got raped, she deserved it.’
“This supervisor regularly spoke of sexual relations with his girlfriend in front of coworkers to include Ms. Riggleman.”
Riggleman says she followed MECCA policy by requesting a meeting with her supervisor to address her concerns. She met with MECCA Director James Smith on March 18, and she says Captain Chera Clawges attended the meeting as her witness. Then, she submitted the written complaint to Assistant Director Wilson as well.
“Riggleman was called into a meeting with the MECCA administrative team to discuss spreading a rumor that Assistant Director Wilson was speaking of personnel issues on the floor,” the complaint states. “During this meeting, Ms. Riggleman was not permitted to provide any evidence or discussion defending herself.
“Ms. Riggleman believes this meeting targeted her for additional discrimination and retaliation.”
On March 25, MECCA supervisors met and told shift bids were canceled effective April 4 and that Wilson would be assigning shift bids.
Prior to this meeting with the MECCA director, Riggleman worked afternoon shift with Sundays and Mondays off. After the March 25 meeting, Riggleman was assigned the midnight shift with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. She says seven of the 10 employees who filed complaints about the treatment of the gay coworkers had their shifts changed.
Riggleman says she immediately began to search for guidance as to how she could file a grievance relating to shift changes, but she says she was unable to locate any documentation or guidance as to the grievance policy. So, she says she called the Monongalia County Commission to ask about the grievance procedure.
She was emailed a copy of the county handbook that included a sexual harassment addendum stating that any such reports should be reported to county administrator within 24 hours. She says it had no information related to filing a grievance.
After a scheduled vacation, Riggleman met with Smith, Wilson and Deputy Director Harold Sperringer.
“Riggleman was asked if she understood the chain of command and was asked repeatedly why she contacted the commission directly to file a grievance,” the complaint states. “Riggleman was further asked during this meeting why she did not notify her shift captain or Assistant Director Wilson to file a grievance. … Riggleman answered telling those present that she did not ask those MECCA personnel because the grievances were directed towards the actions and inactions of MECCA supervisory staff.
“At that point in the meeting, Ms. Riggleman was told she did not understand the chain of command, and that she was an at will employee. Ms. Riggleman was then told her services were no longer needed.”
She accuses the defendants of violating the state Whistle-Blower Law, retaliatory discharge, a tort of outrage, sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.
Riggleman seeks compensatory damages for her personal injuries, including mental suffering and mental anguish, past and future lost enjoyment of life, past and future humiliation, embarrassment, indignity, and shame, economic damages, diminished earning capacity and future lost wages.
She is being represented by Teresa Toriseva, Josh Miller and Michael Kuhn of Toriseva Law in Wheeling.
Monongalia Circuit Court case number 21-C-375
