Clinton County Rejects Claims in Suit from Former Employee

WILLIAMSPORT — Clinton County government is formally disputing assertions from a former county emergency services employee.

Christine Woods of Lock Haven filed a suit in federal Middle District Court a month ago, claiming she had been pressured into performing sex acts on the county’s emergency services director and had been passed over for promotion. Woods, who resigned in May of 2016 after almost 12 years with the county, is seeking unspecified damages. She is alleging discrimination under provisions of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Act and federal civil rights law.

The county filed its response to her claims in court in Williamsport on Tuesday. According to a story posted by pennlive.com, emergency services director Kevin Fanning acknowledged he had a romantic relationship with the former communications dispatcher but said it was consensual. The response said the two had been in a romantic relationship for some two months and mutually agreed to end it and what had occurred between them was by “mutual consent.”

Woods claimed in her court action that Fanning had pressured her into performing sex acts in 2008 while she was on probation.

The county response, according to pennlive.com, rejected her claims she was bypassed three times for promotion despite being the most qualified. The county response in federal court contained a May 2016 county investigation into complaints she had made. That probe found no tangible employment action was taken due to the Woods – Fanning relationship or that she was the victim of a hostile work environment as she had claimed. Those findings also said Woods had been unprofessional in confrontations with Fanning, her shift supervisor and the commissioners.