Blair settles lawsuit with corrections officer | News, sports, jobs

Blair County commissioners have approved an out-of-court settlement of a civil rights lawsuit filed earlier this year by a longtime corrections officer at Blair County Prison who suffered a serious shoulder injury while helping to quell a fight between inmates.

The officer, Brian Crawford, worked as an officer at the prison for thirty years.

On January 23, 2019, Crawford, 55, tore the rotator cuff in his left shoulder while breaking up a fight.

As a result of the injury, he took three short medical leaves of absence for surgery in 2019 and 2020 and returned to work on light duty in December 2020.

His doctor advised him to refrain from contact with prisoners and avoid heavy lifting.

The country sheltered him by assigning him to a controlled area.

However, on September 15, 2021, he was asked to attend a meeting with the province’s Human Resources Director and was told that he must be accompanied by a union representative.

During the meeting, he was told the county was releasing him from workers’ compensation benefits.

The province subsequently fired him on September 17, 2021.

Crawford, through attorney John E. Black III of Edgar Snyder & Associates, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the county, citing violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, retaliation under the Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, noting that his job was filled. by a younger employee.

The lawsuit was assigned to District Judge Stephanie L. Haines in Johnstown.

The case was settled in September for $80,000 in a mediation session led by Pittsburgh attorney David B. White.

Blair County commissioners voted to approve the “inactive employee” settlement at their Nov. 7 meeting. By filing a Right-to-Know request, the Altoona Mirror received a copy of the settlement agreement, which is a public document. By requesting a copy, the Mirror can report that the settlement authorizes the county’s insurance company — the Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool — to issue checks to Crawford for $27,535.21 in compensatory damages and to Edgar Snyder & Associates for $32,464 .79 in attorneys’ fees and costs. The province must also pay $20,000 to Campbell for pension claims for lost wages.

The settlement included a clause clarifying that the county did not admit liability regarding the charges, but settled the lawsuit “to avoid further expense and litigation for the claims set forth and solely for the purpose of avoiding further expense and litigation.”

Additional documents filed in the legal dispute show Crawford was a sergeant at the county jail when he was fired. The veteran officer argued that he was capable of performing all the duties of a sergeant, with the accommodations recommended by his doctor.

For example, he pointed out that he had worked a double shift the day before his discharge “to demonstrate his dedication and ability to work for (the county) as a sergeant.”

The province argued in its response to the lawsuit that its termination was “appropriate and legally sufficient.”

The county also stated that Crawford “failed to perform the essential functions of his job.”

There was another point of disagreement between the two sides.

Crawford stated in his lawsuit that the county offered him a lower-paying job and that he would no longer be part of a union. Crawford stated that “at no time” did he turn down a lower-paying position.

The county responded that while other vacancies were discussed, Crawford “declined to consider vacancies with Blair County.”

After Crawford left the county’s employment, he filed disability and age complaints with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The EEOC sent him a notice of right to sue on February 6, 2024.

His lawsuit was filed in federal court in April.

When it came to the charge of discrimination under the ADA, Crawford charged that the county would no longer make accommodations for him as required by law. The county maintained that Crawford could no longer perform the functions of his job. He claimed his dismissal was in retaliation for his request for accommodation. The province denied the accusation.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens contributed to this story. She can be reached at 814-946-7456.