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Sheriff's deputy gets $395,000, job back
Allegheny County has agreed to pay a fired sheriff's deputy and her lawyer $395,000 and to give the woman her job back to settle civil rights and wrongful termination lawsuits she filed after she was fired in 2002. The county will pay Lori Dobrosielski $264,500, including $191,820 in damages and $72,680 in lost wages, to settle the lawsuits. She already returned to work in May after a county judge ordered Sheriff Pete DeFazio to reinstate her. Dobrosielski's attorney, John Pushinsky, said both sides agreed not to publicly discuss the settlement when it was struck Sept. 6. "I have no comment except to say that the parties have reached a mutually acceptable agreement on the dispute," said Pushinsky, who will receive $131,500 for legal fees. Dobrosielski sued the county and officials including DeFazio, sheriff's Lt. Tom Carter and former County Chief Executive Jim Roddey after she lost her job July 12, 2002. She alleged that after she refused to take part in actions aimed at demoting a black female officer, Lt. Yvonne Evans, she was singled out for harassment and unpleasant treatment. Dobrosielski accused Carter of abusing her with obscenities and said the treatment continued until she was fired. County officials alleged she was fired for abusing sick leave. Lawyer John Bacharach, who represented Sheriff DeFazio's office, did not return calls seeking comment. The settlement agreement states the deal constitutes no admission of guilt by either party. The agreement includes a clause prohibiting county agents from retaliating against Dobrosielski, 31, of Kennedy Township. The settlement comes on the heels of a lawsuit the county settled last month with an employee of Children, Youth and Families. The county agreed to pay Penne Fabian, 42, and her lawyer $154,000 to settle a lawsuit she filed in 2003 against the county and Department of Human Services head Marc Cherna. Fabian, who also won reinstatement as a case practice specialist, sued after being fired in 2002.
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