Mecklenburg sheriff sued by ex-officer over sexual harassment, retaliation claims
A former detention officer with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office is alleging she was wrongfully terminated after she reported multiple incidents of sexual harassment by a male superior.
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The federal lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal filings brought by both former employees and jail residents that have accused Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden of poor leadership, inadequate inmate care and fostering a toxic workplace.
Carmen Tillman, who worked as a detention officer for 12 years, reported repeated sexual harassment by male employees and supervisors, including Captain Anthony Durrah, in March 2023, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court this month. She was later wrongfully accused of making up the allegations and fired, while Durrah maintained his employment with the department, Tillman claimed in her complaint.
McFadden was the only named defendant in the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
Throughout multiple incidents during her time as a detention officer, Durrah asked Tillman “graphic and unwelcome sexual questions” about her body, sexual activity and preferences, her bra size and whether she would have sex with him, Tillman’s lawsuit alleged.
Tillman reported the harassment to the department’s chief of detention, and her complaints were forwarded to the office of professional compliance for investigation, court records say.
Tillman had also reported discrimination related to her medical conditions, which included PTSD, and other alleged misconduct by fellow employees during her time at the sheriff’s department. Tillman accused coworkers of consuming alcohol before operating county vehicles and engaging in sexual activity while on duty.
Two months after Tillman initially came forward, she submitted a written incident report. It reiterated her previous complaints and alleging that she was given unequal access to training and promotional opportunities, that her work assignments were restricted and that she feared retaliation.
Tillman asked the sheriff to place her in an environment away from Durrah, according to the filing.
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Instead, Tillman alleged, department leadership disclosed her complaints to Durrah “causing her to fear for her personal and professional safety.”
She was also asked to submit to a polygraph, the results of which were inconclusive, according to the suit. She was then written up repeatedly in retaliation and subjected to internal investigations, while Durrah continued to work for the department, Tillman said in her complaint.
The sheriff’s department “ultimately treated the allegation she reported as violation of (department) policies concerning truthfulness, abuse of position, unbecoming conduct and participation in administrative investigations,” the lawsuit alleged.
Tillamn was fired on Nov. 28, 2023, following an administrative hearing by an internal board.
Tillman’s initial denial of unemployment benefits was reversed after a state review found she had not committed workplace misconduct, her complaint noted.
The state’s review noted that Durrah remained employed but did not testify at her hearing, the department’s witnesses lacked firsthand knowledge of Durrah’s interactions with Tillman, and the department’s witness acknowledged that Tillman had participated in the internal investigation and answered the questions presented to her, the lawsuit stated.
Tillman was a “dedicated public servant… subjected to unlawful discrimination and retaliation,” her attorneys Jake Modla and Jill Lesley of Columbia-based Cromer Babb & Porter, LLC, said in an emailed statement to The Charlotte Observer.
Tillman also filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in May 2024, according to the complaint. The lawsuit did not detail the status of that complaint.
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