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A Utah jury awarded a former Weber County court administrator over a quarter of a million dollars Thursday, finding a justice court judge sexually harassed her in 2008.
Marcia Eisenhour was awarded $276,503, after jurors found that Justice Court Judge Craig Storey sexually harassed the former employee and violated her right to equal protection.
The federal court jury found the judge liable for the majority of the damages, but said Weber County must pay more than $33,000 to the woman for a Whistleblower Act violation.
"Obviously, she feels so validated after all of this. Finally, someone took her complaint seriously and understands what she went through," attorney April Hollingsworth said of Eisenhour. "...It's been a long road and this is a victory."
However, Hollingsworth said her client is trying not to get too excited — it's likely both sides will appeal the decision.
Hollingsworth said the defendants will likely ask for a mistrial, and the plaintiff may also ask for a mistrial based on her perception of alleged bias from U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups, who presided over the trial.
An attorney for Storey and the county was not available for comment Friday. Storey is no longer a judge, though the Utah Bar directory lists him as an attorney in North Ogden. No one answered the phone Friday.
The jury listened to testimony for seven days over the last two weeks and deliberated over two days before reaching their verdict Thursday, according to Hollingsworth.
Eisenhour filed the federal lawsuit in 2010, alleging Storey acted inappropriately toward her in 2008. The judge wrote a sexually explicit poem about her, told Eisenhour he loved her, rubbed his groin against her and shared details of a dream he had in which she was naked, according to the complaint.
Eisenhour said when she rejected Storey's advances, the judge retaliated by changing her flexible work schedule and requiring prior approval before she missed work, including an explanation of what she was doing and who she was with.
She complained to the county in 2008, but the county took no action against Storey. Eisenhour also filed a complaint about Storey with the Judicial Conduct Commission, but it dismissed the allegations after declining to hear from eight witnesses Eisenhour had lined up.
The county closed the justice court shortly after she filed the lawsuit and spoke to media about it, a move the county said was aimed at reducing expenses but Eisenhour asserted was a result of the complaint.
The jury found that Storey intended for Eisenhour to find the 11-page poem — which had been sitting on the judge's desk — and that she was subjected to unwelcome sexual harassment from the judge, in violation of her right to equal protection. The jury further found that Storey's conduct created an abusive and hostile working environment.
Jurors awarded Eisenhower more than $58,000 in economic damages and over $184,000 in damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress.
Against Weber County, the jury found that the Weber County justice court was closed as an adverse action taken against Eisenhour after she spoke to The Salt Lake Tribune and the Standard-Examiner about the harassment.
The jurors determined that while this was a violation of the Whistleblower Act, they did not find that it violated Eisenhour's First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
Eisenhour, who had worked for the court for nearly 25 years, sued Weber County, three county commissioners and Storey in 2010. The jury did not order any of the commissioners — Craig Dearden, Kenneth Bischoff or Jan Zogmaister — to pay damages individually.
Twitter: @jm_miller