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Panel pushes Milwaukee County to settle disability suit

By: Beth Kevit, [email protected]//July 12, 2012//

Panel pushes Milwaukee County to settle disability suit

By: Beth Kevit, [email protected]//July 12, 2012//

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Milwaukee County should settle a lawsuit brought by a former House of Correction employee who claimed she was fired due to her mental health issues, according to the Judiciary, Safety and General Services Committee.

The committee’s recommendation that the suit be settled for $50,000 will be taken up by the full board at its July 26 meeting.

The suit was filed by Mary Castro, who was fired by the Office of the Sheriff in 2008.

Castro started missing work in 2007 due to post–traumatic stress disorder. She provided written verification from her psychiatrist that working in the House of Correction exacerbated her symptoms, according to a case summary provided to supervisors.

In November 2007, Castro asked to be given a different job, saying she was permanently disabled; however, the sheriff’s office alleges its requests for more information on her disability were not met, according to the summary, and fired Castro in early 2008. Castro argued that the sheriff’s office did not meet its duties to accommodate her disability.

The settlement for $50,000 also includes the provision that Castro be reinstated to a position with the county so that she could immediately retire. In doing so, Castro would have three-and-a-half years of pension service credit that she would have received if she had continued in a position with the county, and she would be eligible to begin receiving pension benefits.

Had the suit progressed through the court system, according to the summary, Castro would have claimed to have lost more than $100,000 in wages over the past 4-1/2 years. The county’s Corporation Counsel expected Castro to seek medical expenses she had to pay when not covered by her former health insurance, attorneys’ fees of at least $60,000, compensation for emotional distress and the credit for pension service.

The $50,000 settlement, if approved by the full board, will be used to pay Castro’s attorneys’ fees.

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