Former Dublin employee files suit
As published in the Sept. 30, 2011 edition of The Keene Sentinel, and online.
DUBLIN -- A former employee is suing the town, claiming her old boss created a work environment so uncomfortable she was forced to leave her job.
Kathy M. Merrick of Dublin worked as assistant to the town administrator from May 2007 until she resigned in December 2010, according to the complaint filed in Cheshire County Superior Court last month.
She was also appointed the town's welfare administrator in March 2008, according to the complaint, a position she still holds.
Former Town Administrator William Raymond, who retired in March, is named along with the town of Dublin in the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges that Raymond's treatment of Merrick was abusive and derogatory and the town did nothing to fix the problem.
"Even though she's a town employee she has a right to be treated equally," Stephen T. Martin, Merrick's attorney, said in an interview.
The complaint alleges that Raymond "yelled and screamed at (Merrick) and subjected her to sexist and other derogatory remarks."
The complaint further alleges that Dublin officials were aware of Raymond's behavior before and after promoting him to town administrator but took no corrective action.
Merrick is claiming damages for lost wages and emotional suffering under both state and federal law -- specifically, the equal protection clause of Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
At the request of the town, the case has been moved from Cheshire County Superior Court to the U.S. District Court in Concord.
The town's lawyer, Andrew S. Livernois of Concord, said in an interview that the move was a strategic decision, based on the expectation that the federal courts are more familiar with federal claims and federal law.
No hearings have been scheduled in the case. Livernois estimated the first court date will come in fall 2012.
tagged with: Dublin N.H., sexual harrassment allegations
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