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Seventeen Brooke County sheriff's deputies, past and present, have filed suit against the Brooke County Commission, alleging they were discriminated against in regards to pay during the pandemic, while one deputy was discriminated against in connection with a medical condition.
Commission President A.J. Thomas on Tuesday said the board hadn't been served with the complaint.
"Until we've been able to review the complaint, we cannot comment," Thomas said.
Thomas said he and the other commissioners were aware the deputies had raised an issue about pay and had consulted Charleston attorney Wendy Greve on the matter.
He said the commission had asked for more details from the deputies but didn't receive them.
Filed in 1st Judicial Circuit Court by attorney Teresa Toriseva on behalf of the deputies, the suit states the county commission closed many of its offices and reduced staffing in many departments while continuing to pay its employees.
It states the commission "then changed its policy to increase the rate of pay to county employees; upon information and belief, this was done to those county employees by increasing their pay for the hourly worked by the employees compared to the amounts paid prior to the COVID pandemic."
The suit states in those several months, the sheriff's department continued to work 24 hours, seven days a week, and assumed the additional duty of providing security for the county courthouse, which involved taking the temperatures of visitors, a recommended precaution during the pandemic.
It notes that at the county commission's Nov. 17, 2020, meeting, members of the sheriff's department had requested "hazard pay" in light of their frequent contact with the public during that time but were denied.
The suit also alleges the commission had discriminated against former sheriff's deputy Caleb Minger, who worked for the sheriff's department from January to July 31 of this year.
It states Minger has a genetic blood disorder that requires specific medication that was blamed for an increase in health insurance premiums for county employees.
The suit alleges county officials instructed Brooke County Sheriff Rich Beatty to fire Minger, which he refused to do, and then contacted Minger's doctor, violating his medical privacy, to inquire whether Minger could be prescribed a cheaper medication.
Through the suit, the deputies also allege the county's policies for longevity and holiday pay and under their more recent timekeeping system, regular pay, violate state code.