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Remaining lawsuits against former Wood County sheriff end in settlements

(Court Reports - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

PARKERSBURG — The remaining two lawsuits against former Wood County Sheriff Steve Stephens have been settled, bringing the cases against him to a conclusion.

In dismissal orders filed in Wood County Circuit Court on June 25, Pleasants County Circuit Judge Timothy L. Sweeney ruled the suits filed by Court Officer Mark C. Harris and Deputy Timothy L. Allen, brought by their respective counsels, “have been resolved and jointly moved for dismissal…”

“It is ordered that (these) civil action(s) (are) dismissed from the docket of this court…,” the orders stated.

The case were the remaining lawsuits against Stephens and the county from deputies and others under his command while he was sheriff. Stephens retired and resigned effective Dec. 1, 2021.

Attorney Todd Bailess of the Bailess Law Firm of Charleston, who represented Harris and Allen, said Wednesday the settlements were confidential and details were not being released.

“We can’t comment on it,” he said.

Bailess did say no other action was expected to take place in these two cases.

Messages left for attorney Jeffrey S. Zurbuch of the law firm of Busch, Zurbuch & Thompson in Elkins, who is representing Stephens, were not returned Wednesday.

There were four lawsuits in the last few years accusing Stephens of inappropriate behavior and creating a hostile work environment. Three of the cases were assigned to Sweeney after judges in Wood County had to recuse themselves.

Sweeney — whose jurisdiction includes Doddridge, Pleasants and Ritchie counties — was also assigned the lawsuit brought against Stephens by Deputy Sgt. Della Matheny, accusing Stephens of inappropriate behavior.

Harris filed suit in late 2021 against the former sheriff for emotional distress, claiming the sheriff was pressuring him to return to work as Harris used accrued sick leave, vacation days and time donated by co-workers to care for his wife, who was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in September 2020.

Allen had alleged Stephens retaliated against him and treated him inappropriately for dating a female deputy, Tasha Hewitt. In paperwork filed in Wood County Circuit Court, Allen claims Stephens “berated” him about his relationship on more than one occasion, threatened to demote him and called Hewitt a “gender-specific derogatory term.” In the suit, Allen said his career “took a turn for the worse,” when Stephens found out he was dating Hewitt in May 2019.

Hewitt started working at the sheriff’s department in 2018 and the lawsuit claims Stephens developed an “obsession” with her along with inappropriately touching her and making “offensive comments” to her.

Hewitt filed her own lawsuit against Stephens and the county in federal court. It was settled in April for $105,000, according to Wood County officials. The lawsuit made claims of gender discrimination, retaliation, deprivation of due process and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to papers filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

On March 11, Sweeney approved a settlement between Matheny and the County Commission, the Sheriff’s Department and Stephens.

Under the terms of the agreement, Matheny was reinstated as a sergeant (having resigned in July 2021) and received $275,000 to settle the lawsuit.

Starting at $2.99/week.

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