Westmoreland County commissioners have agreed to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by a former nurse at the county jail.
Commissioners unanimously approved a $8,500 payout to Sophie Puskar, who sued the county and Wexford Health Sources, the private medical provider at Westmoreland County Prison. Puskar contended she was sexually harassed and retaliated against by staff after she reported allegations of improper behavior among co-workers.
According to court records, Wexford Health Sources hired Puskar in 2017 as a nurse at the jail. In the lawsuit, she contended she was subjected to sexual harassment by an inmate in 2018 and claimed a guard failed to stop the behavior. Puskar complained to jail officials about the guard’s inaction. She alleged that she was later harassed by a coworker before she resigned in 2019, according to the lawsuit.
A federal judge in August dismissed Westmoreland County from the lawsuit after lawyers successfully argued the county was not Puskar’s employer.
Puskar appealed that ruling. Mediation to resolve the case resulted in a settlement, officials said.
