Editorial: Stop county lawsuits from becoming expensive settlements

Another former Westmoreland County employee has gotten another settlement for another lawsuit.

This is the worst summer sequel ever. But it’s starting to add up to one blockbuster budget problem.

The county settled with Alyssa Nuss of Greensburg for $50,000. Nuss was an office clerk and cashier in the office of Recorder of Deeds Tom Murphy in 2018 and 2019. A supporter of Murphy in the 2019 election, she said on social media that challenger (and former recorder) Frank Schiefer would be a “disgrace” if he fired people for political reasons.

He won. Nuss was fired for the social media statements. Nuss filed a federal lawsuit.

Schiefer says this wasn’t political but was in keeping with the county’s social media policy — the kind of policy many companies and agencies maintain in the Twitter age.

Schiefer is a Republican. Murphy is a Democrat. But the issue seems to be more about elected officials in managerial roles than about party.

The problem in Westmoreland is some people seem to make more money through settling lawsuits over employment (or termination) issues than actually doing their jobs. The county commissioners are considering holding the row officers accountable for their own bills rather than having the county foot them.

“We don’t have unlimited resources, and I hope our colleagues take responsibility for that personally,” Commissioner Doug Chew said.

The Nuss settlement is just the latest in a long line that has included a dozen suits against Jonathan Held, the former sheriff who lost his seat in November after two terms and amid a criminal case brought by the state Office of the Attorney General. The suits have topped $500,000 in legal bills and payouts.

Commissioners have suggested deducting the costs from the various departmental budgets, which would be a pointed way of showing the row officers how much the suits affect the bottom line.

But maybe the elected officials all need an intensive class in what is and isn’t allowed when running an office, something that can be especially important when running for re-election has its own complications. That’s one of the issues Held faced.

It also might do some good to educate employees on what is allowed, what isn’t and how to handle problems before they rise to the level of lawsuit.

Just changing whose pocket the money comes out of when all the money still comes from the taxpayers doesn’t solve the problem. Preventing the situations that lead to lawsuits that become settlements will.