BUCKHANNON — An employee is suing Upshur County Emergency Medical Services Inc. for discrimination
Dr. Robert Snuffer, Gloria Burr and the Upshur County Emergency Medical Services Board of Directors were also named as defendants in the suit.
Stacey Wilmoth was hired by UCEMS as an emergency medical technician and was paid $14 per hour in March 2022, according to a complaint filed in Upshur Circuit Court.
Wilmoth claims in June 2022, she received her 90 days pay raise to $14.15 per hour.
In August 2022, UCEMS employee and Wilmoth's supervisor Gloria Burr asked Alex Nesbitt, a male coworker, if he knew who the plaintiff was sleeping with and if the plaintiff was sleeping with Nesbitt.
"The next month, September 2022, Gloria Burr made comments to other coworkers that Plaintiff would never be going to dayshift," the complaint states. "These comments were made in whole or in part due to Plaintiff’s gender and/or sexual orientation."
Wilmoth claims a few weeks later, in October 2022, Burr again made inappropriate comments to Nesbitt such as "congrats on turning a lesbian straight."
Wilmoth claims she is a lesbian and was not in a sexual relationship with Nesbitt.
On Jan. 4, Wilmoth was ill and a few days after her illness UCEMS Board member Kevin Huffman stopped by the station around 5:30 a.m. and was staring at the plaintiff for a lengthy amount of time in an intimidating matter making her very uncomfortable, according to the suit.
Wilmoth claims she expressed displeasure about the intimidating actions.
Later in January 2023, Burr told the plaintiff's co-workers to be cautious of her as she would perform sexual acts on them with a "rainbow dildo" and/or force co-workers into sex acts with her using a rainbow dildo, according to the suit.
"At no time did Plaintiff wish to engage in sexual acts with her coworkers, and certainly did not plan, intend, or wish to sexually assault or be sexually assaulted by her co-workers with a LBGTIQA+ themed 'dildo,'" the complaint states. "Such comments are clearly based on Plaintiff’s gender, sexual orientation, and identity as a member of the LBGTIQA+ community."
The plaintiff was highly offended, humiliated, hurt, and upset about the comment.
Wilmoth claims she dealt with other discrimination from Burr and others the spring of 2023.
Wilmoth is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. She is represented by D. Adrian Hoosier II of Hoosier Law Firm in Charleston.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Jacob E. Reger.
Upshur Circuit Court case number: 23-C-30