CHARLES TOWN – A Kearneysville woman says she was a victim of sexual harassment and unlawful termination by Ranson’s police chief.
Angela C. Snyder filed her complaint in Jefferson Circuit Court against the City of Ranson and Ranson Police Chief Robbie R. Roberts.
Snyder worked for the city from July 2011 to August 2023, according to the complaint, as an administrative assistant and court clerk. She says she noticed Roberts had “a problem with women, especially those who are assertive, not afraid to stand up to him and not afraid to speak their mind.”
Roberts
| Facebook photo
During her employment, Snyder says Roberts called her a bitch on several occasions, including saying the following:
* “Bitch, you are going to do what I say;”
* “Bitch, don’t you lie to me” in response to her telling him she worked overtime; and
* “Bitch, I don’t have to listen to you.”
Snyder says she isn’t the only woman Roberts used these “vile, degrading, gender-based names” with in her presence. She says he frequently referred to women who came into the office as bitches and another derogatory term often used to reference female anatomy.
She says Roberts also made frequent comments about the bodies of women who came into office, saying they had a “nice rack” or a “fat ass.” She says he also frequently cursed at her, “used the ‘F’ word and generally treated her in a demeaning, degrading and unprofessional manner.”
“Chief Roberts did not treat men he encountered in the same fashion,” the complaint states. “Chief Roberts said to Ms. Snyder at various times, ‘You are going to f---ing listen to me,’ ‘Get your shit and get out of the office’ and ‘get the hell out of my office.’”
Snyder says Roberts also would falsely accuse her of lying about working overtime, of taking multiple lunches and “generally insinuate that she was not working hard.”
She also says Roberts refused to let her work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic despite her having a heart condition that causes her to have a compromised immune system while others were allowed to work from home. She says he also refused to require the wearing of masks in the office during the pandemic, enforce social distancing or prohibit sick people from coming to work.
When Snyder complained about Roberts’ refusal to accommodate her during the pandemic to a city council member, she says Roberts threatened her to not complain and that he was not “going to pay her to sit on her ass at home.”
Both times after Snyder contracted COVID, she says she returned to work to Roberts ridiculing her by prohibiting officers from being near her, having people put their hands over their mouths and noses near her and call her COVID. She says the mayor even would put a mask on his mouth and nose but remove it after passing her.
She also says Roberts and other city police officers often would go home before the end of their shifts, ran errands, performed tasks for side businesses, went to appointments and performed other personal business on city time.
Snyder also says Roberts hired a business owned by one of her co-workers to complete a project for the city and allowed the co-worker to work on the project on city time, resulting in “double dipping.” She also says the co-worker also may have been allowed to keep leftover materials from the project for her business.
She also says Roberts refused to allow her to attend training regarding taking payments, and she says payments might have been taken in violation of state rules and procedures. In addition, she says Roberts refused to pay her for time she worked before the official start time. When she began recording this time on her timesheet, Snyder says Roberts fraudulently altered the timesheet.
About three weeks before she was fired, Snyder says she contacted Human Resources representative Darla Armstrong about filing a grievance against Roberts. But she says Armstrong refused to meet with her in person and instead took the complaints over the phone. Snyder says Armstrong never prepared the grievance on her behalf and told her she would set up a one-on-one meeting with Roberts, which Snyder refused.
She says the harassment and treatment led her to suffer anxiety, headaches and stomach aches.
Toward the end of her employment, Snyder says she was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. She says Roberts would laugh about the condition, saying things such as “Yeah, right” and What ailment’s got you today?” and generally insinuate she was faking when she complained about it.
About two weeks before she was fired, Snyder says she requested FMLA paperwork for scheduled carpal tunnel surgery. She says Armstrong gave her a hard time about it and then provided the wrong paperwork, never giving her the correct papers.
On August 1, 2023, Snyder was terminated after sending an email to Roberts, Armstrong, City Manager Todd Wilt, Finance Director Brianna Andrews and Police Captain Todd Lutman complaining about not being paid for time she had worked and demanding payment.
“She also made complaints about the lack of bulletproof glass or other protection against armed intruders, failure to properly secure the premises, lack of a handheld radio to call for help, failure to accommodate her request to work from home during COVID-19 or otherwise protect employees from COVID-19,” the complaint states. “Snyder was terminated by defendant Chief Roberts approximately 45 minutes after her email and seven days prior to her scheduled carpal tunnel surgery.”
Snyder accuses the defendants of sexual harassment, hostile work environment, disability discrimination, failure to accommodate in violation of the West Virginia Human Rights Act, disability harassment, retaliation, reprisal, violation of the West Virginia Whistleblower Act, common law retaliatory discharge as well as aiding and abetting.
She says she suffered loss of dignity, embarrassment, humiliation, aggravation and emotional distress. She seeks compensatory damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief. She says she is not seeking reinstatement at this time.
Snyder is being represented by Michael P. Addair and Kurt E. Entsminger of Addair Entsminger in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Bridget Cohee.
Jefferson Circuit Court case number 24-C-266