Groups ask Innamorato to explain chief public defender's firing

Two advocacy groups are seeking a meeting with Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato about the “apparent lack of due process” for Lena Bryan-Henderson, the former chief public defender who was fired last week following a monthlong human resources investigation.

Bryan-Henderson, the first Black woman to hold the post, “was not given an opportunity to respond directly to the complaints made against her, nor was she offered any remedial steps before being placed on administrative leave,” Black Political Empowerment Project Chairman Tim Stevens and Alliance for Police Accountability President Brandi Fisher said in a jointly signed letter dated Monday.

Henderson’s termination also might lead some to question “if the complaints against her were in retaliation to the complaints she made about some of her colleagues,” Stevens and Fisher wrote.

Innamorato appointed Bryan-Henderson in January 2024. Less than 18 months later, on April 7, she was placed on administrative leave. At the time, Bryan-Henderson was escorted off county property.

The county has not divulged information about any complaints lodged against Bryan-Henderson or its investigation.

People remained tight-lipped Tuesday.

Bryan-Henderson told TribLive she didn’t expect the letter to Innamorato to be shared with reporters and declined further comment.

Her attorney, Joe Pass, also declined to comment.

“The letter is the comment,” said Stevens, declining to say anything more.

Fisher did not return messages.

Abigail Gardner, a county spokesperson, told TribLive she had not read the letter and would not address the concerns it raised.

Gardner would not discuss the general process the county follows when launching a human resources investigation of an at-will, non-union employee such as Bryan-Henderson.

No county policy governs the process, she said.

Bryan-Henderson has told her supporters in a message that 25 allegations were made against her.

According to that message, Bryan-Henderson said the county asked her if she had ever said “pregnancy makes women ‘dumber’ or Native Americans ‘don’t have real problems.’”

She said she was also asked whether she questions people about their gender at birth.

The letter sent by Stevens and Fisher cited Bryan-Henderson’s race and stressed the need for “transparent dialogue.”

“To help address public concerns surrounding this termination—particularly given that Ms. Henderson was the first Black woman to hold this position and that the majority of clients served by the Public Defender’s Office in Allegheny County are African American—we believe that open and transparent dialogue is essential,” they wrote.

Bryan-Henderson began working in the public defender’s office in 1991. During her time as an assistant public defender, she also operated a private criminal practice.

Her salary for running the office of the public defender, which represents indigent people in court, was $140,415, officials said.

As the county prepares to search for a replacement, Chief Deputy Public Defender Andy Howard is leading the department.