DHS named in two whistleblower lawsuits

Two employees are suing the Department of Human Services for alleged disability discrimination and retaliation for whistleblowing, according to Marion County Circuit Court records.

Brian Spangrud and Ashley Olson filed their cases on July 2 and are collectively asking for $521,600 in damages. Spangrud is suing for $250,600 and Olson is suing for $271,000.

Spangrud is a child welfare caseworker, and Olson was an office specialist who was fired during her trial service period, spokesman Gene Evans said.

Both filed complaints regarding the same manager, Gloria Fahey, who supervised both of them. Both said she bullied them and made light of their disabilities, although neither lawsuit explains what those disabilities were.

Olson said she spent weeks being subjected to unwarranted criticism and belittling remarks regarding her work. She characterized that behavior as "discriminatory" and a result of her having a disability.

The problems came to a head on Nov. 21, when Olson and Fahey were together in the office's file room with the door shut. Fahey was lecturing Olson on her work performance, according to the suit, and Olson moved to leave the room.

Fahey grabbed her shoulders and squeezed, Olson said, in an attempt to keep her in the room. She reported the incident to the police, who investigated what Olson deemed an "assault," but Fahey said she had used a light touch on her employee's elbow. Charges were never filed.

Olson was given a different supervisor following the incident, but the problems continued and she was fired. She applied for a job in the state's Parks Department, but her DHS managers gave her a poor recommendation and prevented her from being hired.

She claims DHS retaliated against her for reporting Fahey's allegedly illegal behavior.

Spangrud's complaint is similar, but he was never fired.

He reported an ongoing pattern of critical, obnoxious and inappropriate behavior, including mocking him with hand gestures when she felt he was talking for too long.

He said she ignored his disability by asking him to lift boxes of documents, and he claimed she demoted him into a position beneath his skill set in retaliation for his filing grievances against her.

The case describes a frequently contentious relationship between Fahey and Spangrud, including some mistakes Spangrud made that he felt earned him unwarranted punishment.

Evans and Department of Justice spokeswoman Kristina Edmunson declined comment on the cases.

Spangrud's and Olson's cases have been assigned to Judges Dale Penn and Tracy Prall, respectively.

hhoffman@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6719 or follow at twitter.com/HannahKHoffman