Ex-secretary to get $105K in suit

A former Penn Forest secretary will receive a $105,000 settlement over claims of incidents during her employment.

Cynthia Henning worked as an assistant and secretary at Penn Forest Township from May 2010 through her termination in June 2014.

On May 29, Henning agreed to settle a number of lawsuits against the township for incidents which led up to her firing.

Henning’s lawsuit named township Supervisors Warren Reiner and Scott Lignore and former Supervisors Christine Fazio and Phillip Shedaker.

According to Henning’s complaints, she was assaulted by Reiner when she interrupted an argument between Lignore and another former employee, Carol Matthews.

Henning’s claim stated that Reiner grabbed her arm and directed her back to her office.

Henning reported the assault to former Supervisor Fazio, who was responsible for employee relations at the township, but according to Henning, Fazio never responded to any of her emails.

Henning was later placed on leave without pay and subsequently terminated for insubordination.

Henning fought for and was awarded unemployment compensation, and filed a suit before the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against the township for sexual discrimination.

In her complaint before the PHRC, Henning pointed out a number of areas in which male employees were favored over female employees. One such example was that Henning, a female was required to wait four months to receive medical benefits for her employment, where a male employee was given the same benefits on his first day of employment.

In another example Henning alleged that two male road crew employees were found to be sleeping in their trucks during work hours and were never disciplined.

This week the supervisors voted to pay three deductibles to the township’s insurance carrier EMC in the amount totaling $15,000. The deductibles were for the loss of “salary/fringe benefits,” for the claim under the “linebacker” policy and for other claims related to cases filed by Henning in 2014 and 2015.

According to the EMC website a linebacker policy is what is commonly referred to as an “error or omissions” policy and defined as “protection for liability and defense costs for the wrongful acts of policyholders that may occur through the process of conducting business; actual or alleged errors, misstatements or misleading statements, acts or omissions, and neglect or breach of duty by a policyholder.”

The township’s settlement with Henning releases the township for all claims that have or might in the future arise out of the allegations made by Henning for incidents which occurred during the course of her employment.

Henning will receive $105,000 in exchange for the release.

The settlement signed in May ends the four-year battle Henning has waged for justice. Henning sees the Pennsylvania Whistleblower Law as old and tired and in need of updating.

“You are bullied, harassed, and in my case, even assaulted, and terminated from your job,” Henning said. “It leaves you and your family emotionally, physically and financially crippled. Your only recourse is to retain legal counsel and be involved in a lawsuit that takes at least five or six years to go to trial.”

Henning received an additional settlement from the township as part of an action filed through the union that represents the township employees. Two other female employees who worked with Henning have also received settlements.

“I am just glad that this is over,” said Reiner. “I would not have minded going to court, but it takes too long. Now it’s done.”