Published: November 24, 2009 08:57 pm      

Girdler, Hines 'pleased' with settlement

Somerset — Two former county employees who recently came to a settlement in a lawsuit filed against Pulaski County Fiscal Court released a statement in response to magistrates’ reluctance to settle the case.

“My clients, Donnie Girdler and Lorie Hines, are very pleased with the settlement reached in the lawsuit against the fiscal court,” said attorney Joe Venters, who represented the two in the lawsuit, in a written statement to the Commonwealth Journal. “This has been a long and difficult process for both of them, and they feel vindicated by the result we were able to obtain.”

Former administrative assistant Hines and former deputy judge-executive Girdler filed suit against Pulaski County, Pulaski County Judge-executive Barty Bullock and the magistrates in July 2008 after their salaries were slashed by more than $10,000 during a fiscal court meeting.

The lawsuit claimed the court illegally amended county personnel policies, and that Girdler and Hines had been subject to discrimination for reporting information in good faith to the Kentucky State Police, the Auditor of Public Accounts for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Commonwealth’s Attorney and others.

“Donnie and Lorie attempted to bring about change in our local county government,” the statement read. “By working with various state agencies, Donnie and Lorie exposed wrongdoing and were illegally punished by the magistrates for doing so.

“That is the essence of a whistleblower claim,” the statement continued.

Both Hines’ and Girdler’s salaries were raised by $10,000 when they took their positions in the beginning of 2007, when Bullock’s administration began.

More details of the settlement came to light on Monday in the statement released by Venters. According to the statement, Girdler and Hines received $22,500 each from the county’s insurance company.

“In response to the statements made by (1st District) Magistrate Kenny Isaacs in a Nov. 11, 2009 Commonwealth Journal article, I can assure you that insurance companies do not pay $45,000 for lawsuits that are without merit,” said Venters in the statement.

During the Nov. 10 fiscal court meeting, Isaacs and the other magistrates unanimously passed a resolution expressing their disapproval of the settlement, which came about during a mediation session on Nov. 6.

“I think we can disagree with it, and I’d like to make a motion that we pass a resolution disagreeing with any kind of settlement with them,” said Isaacs during the meeting.

Girdler and Hines resigned from their positions in July and Sept. 2008, soon after their salaries were cut and the lawsuit was filed.

When Pulaski County Attorney Bill Thompson stated to the court during the Nov. 10 meeting that the settlement was solely the decision of the county’s insurance company, Isaacs responded by saying “I understand what the insurance company’s doing. It’s the bottom line, not what’s right or wrong, it’s their bottom line.”

The other magistrates also expressed their reluctance to settle with Girdler and Hines.