Collin County has reached an almost $2 million settlement in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by employees of the district attorney’s office.
Six current and former employees filed a federal lawsuit against the county in October, accusing District Attorney Greg Willis and first assistant Bill Wirskye of fostering a hostile work environment through multiple acts of sexual harassment and subsequent retaliation when sexual advances were rejected.
The plaintiffs were Kim Pickrell, Keith Henslee, Fallon LaFleur, Vykim Le, Rebecca Royer, and Peggy Smolen. The latter two were identified in the suit as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, respectively.
The lawsuit also alleged that the county commissioners court made efforts to cover up the toxic behavior.
In the lawsuit, Pickrell, a Collin County chief investigator, claimed that Willis “made repeated unwanted sexual advances” toward her “as well as routine and unwelcome effort to flirt with her.”
“Quite frequently, he would give her full frontal body hugs while pressing her breasts into his chest, rubbing her lower back with his hands and moaning,” the suit reads.
“On another occasion, he alluded to his own arousal and said that he couldn’t sit next to Chief Pickrell anymore because he couldn’t help himself getting excited because she looked too good,” the suit alleges further.
Royer, identified as Jane Doe 1 in the lawsuit, alleged that Willis invited her into his hotel room while traveling for work. She claimed that her complaints to human resources bore no results.
The employees also claimed that Wirskye punished them by criticizing their work performance and altering their assignments.
Willis and Wirskye denied the allegations. Wirskye told NBC 5 DFW that the lawsuit was “full of lies” and politically motivated.
A $1.75 million settlement to be paid out of the county’s insurance policy was announced on Monday.
The Dallas Express reached out to Collin County for comment and was directed to a public statement released by Collin County Judge Chris Hill in which he said, “the allegations were unfounded” but that the county’s insurance company “was concerned about the potential costs of litigation and any potential judgment.”
According to the statement, an independent investigator discovered “numerous” inconsistencies with the allegations.
Still, the insurance company offered the six plaintiffs a total of $1.75 million to settle the lawsuit. The plaintiffs amended their lawsuit, withdrawing claims of sexual harassment and misconduct and alleging only that they “suffered retaliation,” according to Hill’s statement.
The three plaintiffs who remained employees with the county resigned after the lawsuit was settled, per the terms of the settlement agreement.
“The Commissioners and I take allegations such as these very seriously, and they deserve nothing less than a full, thorough, and impartial investigation,” Hill said in the statement. “The Commissioners responded with appropriate care and vigilance, and I am now convinced that these allegations were without merit.”
Hill concluded his statement by saying he is “thankful for the leadership and the service of Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis and First Assistant Bill Wirskye.”