Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matthew R. Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”
A North Carolina District Attorney has moved to dismiss claims of sexual harassment and defamation brought by a former employee. The employee, Whitney Nicole Shaffer, worked for District Attorney James C. Gaither for a four-month period in 2013.
Gaither is the outgoing district attorney for North Carolina’s 25th judicial district, which encompasses all of Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties. He lost a July runoff election to challenger David Learner, who will take over Gaither’s office next year.
Shaffer sued Gaither in June in federal court alleging that the district attorney used his position to intimidate and make unwanted sexual advances toward her. Shaffer resigned her position, but she said Gaither told other attorneys and at least one judge that he fired her. This, Shaffer said, damaged her reputation in the legal community.
In August, the North Carolina Attorney General—which represents Gaither—filed a motion to dismiss Shaffer’s lawsuit. The Attorney General represents Gaither in his capacity as district attorney. Since Shaffer also sued Gaither personally, Gaither hired his own attorney. That attorney—Renee Hughes—filed a motion Tuesday to dismiss Shaffer’s claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That Act, Hughes argued, does not impose liability upon individuals.