Schuylkill County will pay a legal firm $380 an hour to investigate any complaints of violations of workplace policies such as sexual harassment.

The move stems from a settlement between the county and the U.S. Department of Justice related to a federal sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr.

The settlement resolved the legal dispute between the DOJ and the county that is based on the charges of discrimination filed by four courthouse workers with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

All three commissioners on Wednesday approved the fee-for-service contract with McNees, Wallace and Nurick, which has an office in Scranton, to provide legal services for conducting investigations as requested by the settlement, also known as a consent decree.

“This an an approved Equal Employment Opportunity Commission firm,” said County Administrator Gary R. Bender.

Commissioner Gary J. Hess asked him to explain a bit more.

“We have used an outside investigator in the past,” Bender said. “The consent decree was requesting that we bring someone on board to do that. The county decided to be pro-active. (County Solicitor Al) Marshall and I reviewed several things and picked this firm.”

“We agreed to do this with the Department of Justice, and we’re moving ahead with this,” said Commissioners Chairman Barron L. Hetherington.

The workers, all women, in March 2021 filed the federal sexual harassment lawsuit against Halcovage Jr. and other county officials, contending that Halcovage sexually harassed them since he was first elected in 2012. He has denied the accusations.

They are identified in the suit as Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 4.

An addition to the suit was filed in October 2021, contending the women were subjected to retaliation for filing the first suit by two of them being demoted, accused of misusing county software, and suspended without pay.

The suit is being heard in U.S. District Court, Scranton with Magisterial District Judge Martin C. Carlson presiding.

The DOJ joined the suit in May.

The settlement, known as a consent decree, affects only the dispute between the DOJ and the county.

The DOJ’s entry into the settlement was predicated on the county offering the women $850,000 plus attorney’s fees and costs to settle the suit.

The women rejected the offer.

The settlement does not mean the county admitted to the DOJ’s contentions or that there were any findings of fault on the county’s part. It also “does not address or have any effect on the plaintiffs’ claims against the county or any other defendant,” Carlson wrote.