JWA worker sues county

Deepa Bharath

A painter who works for John Wayne Airport filed a discrimination

lawsuit against the county last week, alleging that her employer

harassed her because she is lesbian.

Dana Darnell, who has worked for the airport since November 1994,

stated in the lawsuit that she and a co-worker, who is also lesbian,

have been forced to work the graveyard shift over the years and

subjected to derogatory remarks because of their sexual orientation.

The harassment included “repeated bulletin-board posting of

anti-gay newspaper articles, placement of job listings and job

applications for fast food restaurants in [Darnell’s] mail slot and

threats of future shift changes.”

County officials have not yet been served with the lawsuit, said

George Urch, spokesman for John Wayne Airport.

“We do not normally comment on lawsuits filed against the county

or about personnel issues,” he said.

Darnell has been patient and exhausted all other options before

she decided to file the lawsuit, her attorney K.D. Hughes said.

“She kept hoping over a period of time that this behavior and this

type of treatment would change,” Hughes said.

Darnell tried to seek administrative remedies and went through the

county’s Human Resources Department, but none of that helped, she

said.

“We tried to effect a fair resolution,” Hughes said. “But the

airport has been nonresponsive.”

Darnell is still employed with the airport, but is on disability

leave, she said.

“This is conduct on the part of the employer which is egregious

and it has been continuous,” Hughes said. “It has caused my client

great emotional distress. It’s taken her away from her work and put

her on disability.”

Darnell did contemplate quitting her job, her attorney said.

“But good jobs are hard to come by,” Hughes said. “With the

county, she’s got good benefits. She liked her job. She was good at

what she did.”

The lawsuit seeks upwards of $500,000 in damages. The purpose of

the lawsuit is “to make the county responsible and to stop this

pattern of conduct,” Hughes said.