BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The Clinton County legislature is addressing the multiple lawsuits against the county jail.
The county settled with four former employees back in December for an undisclosed amount. In a statement, lawmakers say they were first made aware of complaints back in 2021. They say at that time, the claims were investigated and action by the sheriff’s department and the county was taken on the credible complaints.
The statement also addresses the additional complaints filed by employees with state and federal agencies. They say those agencies did not make any findings that the county or sheriff’s department broke the law.
Regarding December’s settlement, the legislature says it was a risk management decision, even though they believed there were valid defenses. At Wednesday’s county meeting, former employees voiced their concerns to county lawmakers.
“Please stop being silent. Please prevent more people from being victimized. The Sheriff’s Department just rescued poorly treated dogs. When will someone step up and save the poorly treated inmates and female employees at the Sheriff’s Department,” said former Clinton County employee Chelsey Liberty.
We also asked if county lawmakers would go on camera to address the lawsuits, but were told they would only issue the statement. We are also still working to figure out how much the payout amounts from December’s settlement were.