Schuylkill County Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr.’s lawyer fired back at an accusation that his client allegedly shared details of testimony in a federal sexual harassment lawsuit despite being told not to.

Attorney Catherine W. Smith, Philadelphia, who represents four women who filed the lawsuit as Jane Doe 1, 2, 3 and 4 in March 2021 asked presiding U.S. District Court Judge Martin C. Carlson on Feb. 14 to find Halcovage and his lawyer, Gerard J. Geiger, in contempt for divulging the name of one of the women and some of her testimony to a former courthouse employee in January.

She asked Carlson to sanction both Halcovage and Geiger, and order them to pay for the attorney’s fees and expenses related to the request. On Feb. 21, she exempted Geiger from the contempt request.

Halcovage denies the accusations.

In her motion, Smith contended that Halcovage spoke with the former employee about the testimony of one of the Jane Doe’s, whom he identified, and that the testimony had to do with the former employee allegedly telling the Jane Doe that Halcovage ordered supplies for his insurance business through the county.

Geiger on Tuesday responded, arguing that the accusations were based on hearsay.

“After consulting with his own lawyer, (the former employee) refused to sign an affidavit about his alleged conversation with Halcovage. So instead, plaintiffs submit an unsigned affidavit of what (the former employee) allegedly told Catherine Smith’s paralegal, in a phone conversation. Plaintiffs also submitted a ‘declaration’ of Jane Doe 4 in which she comments on what she heard (the former employee) say,” Geiger wrote.

“The witness notably refused to sign the proffered affidavit. All ‘evidence’ proffered by the plaintiffs is inadmissible hearsay,” Geiger wrote in his response. “In contrast, in his sworn deposition testimony, Halcovage denied that he disclosed confidential information to (the former employee).”

Carlson as of late Thursday had yet to rule on the matter.

The women, all courthouse employees, filed the suit on March 16, 2021, alleging Halcovage sexually harassed them beginning when he was first elected in 2012.

Halcovage has denied the accusations.

Halcovage, along with County Administrator Gary R. Bender, and assistant county solicitor Glenn T. Roth Jr., interim Human Resources Director Doreen Kutzler and current Human Resources Director Heidi Zula were named as defendants.

The suit was amended on Oct. 29, 2021, alleging the defendants took employment actions against some of the women that were unlawful discrimination, created a hostile work environment, and were intimidation and retaliation for filing the suit.

Two of them have been suspended without pay since September.