Oxford County and sheriff settle lawsuit brought by former clerk

A lawsuit between the Oxford County sheriff and a former employee, who alleged the sheriff tried to fire her in retaliation for her reporting concerns, was settled last week.

Joan Kelly, the former sheriff’s clerk, sued Sheriff Christopher Wainwright , Oxford County, Chief Deputy James Urquhart, the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and Oxford County, in November 2022 in the U.S. District Court in Bangor.

The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice Thursday after a settlement was reached April 9, according to court records, which had no details about the terms of the settlement.

The complaint alleged Kelly’s First Amendment rights were violated by the defendants, she was discriminated against on the basis of her sex and the county defamed her and violated her 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the laws and due process. It also alleged Wainwright’s attempt to fire Kelly was in retaliation for reporting concerns.

No parties responded immediately to requests for comment.

On Dec. 6, 2019, Kelly hit a tipping point with Wainwright, according to the lawsuit. After requesting the sheriff to deal with a “pressing issue” from a member of the public, she asked if he “does anything.”

Wainwright said she was toxic and that he would fire her, according to the lawsuit. He put Kelly on administrative leave and said he would recommend her firing to county commissioners, who had to approve the decision.

Commissioners reinstated Kelly in February 2020 after finding her actions did not justify firing.

A month later, Urquhart and the county’s human resources consultant, Annalee Rosenblatt, told Kelly she would be suspended without pay for a week and serve a six-month probation. Wainwright pushed her return date back by nearly two months, according to the lawsuit.

She ended up resigning in May 2020 after returning from work and realizing she could not recover from the discipline.

Wainwright is waiting for Gov. Janet Mills to decide if she will remove him from his elected office, after a two-day hearing in April. Under the Maine Constitution, only a governor can remove a sheriff from office. It’s not known when she will announce her decision.

Oxford County commissioners asked Mills to remove Wainwright for trading guns from the evidence room without following proper protocols, threatening a deputy who reported Wainwright for asking him to go easy on an acquaintance and allowing non-certified men to work as school resource officers.