Former county employee says she was fired due to age, disability; Lawsuit filed after woman was let go from Anne Arundel State's Attorney's Office

A former employee in the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office has filed a federal lawsuit against the county, claiming she was fired because of her age and disability.

Patricia Marshall, who was terminated as a victim witness specialist in 2016, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court against State's Attorney Wes Adams, his office and two top deputies. After she filed it in January, it was amended to make Anne Arundel County the sole defendant.

Marshall claims she was discriminated against based on her disability and age. Her lawsuit identifies her as having an anxiety disorder and a heart condition, both considered disabilities by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act. She is 60 years old.

Marshall and her attorney, Jeremy Greenberg, declined to comment. A spokesperson for the State's Attorney's Office also declined to comment.

"We believe that (the) county has no liability in this matter given the fact the Office of State's Attorney is a state office. We will be filing legal motions to extricate ourselves from this pending legal action," said Owen McEvoy, spokesman for County Executive Steve Schuh.

Marshall filed a complaint with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights in November 2016. The status of that complaint was not immediately clear.

According to the lawsuit, Marshall was diagnosed in January 2016 with the anxiety disorder that "substantially impacts her thinking, interacting with others and working." Two months later, she was hospitalized with a heart condition aggravated by her anxiety disorder.

Marshall was granted "temporary light duty" after returning to work with a doctor's note, her lawsuit states. After light duty was over, Marshall experienced bouts of dizziness and lapses in concentration caused by her medical conditions and medications, she said.

In June 2016, Marshall told her supervisor she was struggling with her caseload because of her medical condition, but no accommodation for her disability was discussed, she claims.

Two months later, Marshall was put on a two-month probation "to improve her performance," her complaint states.

Lesley Pattison, director of operations in the State's Attorney's Office, told Marshall she believed the disabilities were caused by her job and that, since her job was too stressful, she should find another job, Marshall claims in her lawsuit. She was placed on probation.

After receiving a text from her supervisor saying she was doing "good work" on Aug. 26 and a prosecutor noting that Marshall's performance was improving on Sept. 7, Marshall was fired, her complaint states.

Assistant State's Attorney Aaron Meyers, who heads up the office's District Court unit, said he fired Marshall because her requests for help "irritated him," according to the lawsuit.

Pattison restated her belief Marshall's job was too stressful for her disability and offered her a temporary position as a receptionist with a pay cut through the end of 2016, Marshall claims in her lawsuit. She accepted the position.

Marshall's lawsuit also detailed comments by Pattison, such as telling Marshall she could live off her retirement and recommended she tell future employers about her young child to signal she wouldn't retire immediately after being hired.

Marshall also says Pattison refused to discuss accommodation requests.

Credit: By Selene San Felice - ssanfelice@capgaznews.com