The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

January 30, 2007

Lawsuit: Sharon hospital fired woman because of her age, disability

By Joe Pinchot

SHENANGO VALLEY — A federal judge has ordered mediation in a lawsuit filed by a Hermitage woman against Sharon Regional Health System.

The mediation session will be held by April 2 before Sally Griffth Cimini, according to the order filed Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab, Pittsburgh.

Carol Scholl, 52, of 40 Pine Tree Lane, charged in a suit filed Oct. 23 that the health care provider discriminated against her age and disability when it fired her in March.

In its answer filed Dec. 29, Sharon Regional denied discriminating against her. It also said that she was not fired, alleging that she resigned voluntarily.

Ms. Scholl said she was hired in August 1973 as a lab aide and clerk, but left in 1990 because of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, which “substantially limited her in nearly every major life activity.”

She was rehired in 2001, a time when she was “without symptoms,” she said. Ms. Scholl was promoted in August 2004 from mental health worker to psychiatric social worker. She said she notified her employer that her symptoms had returned and asked for help — which she said “constituted a request for accommodation” — but officials retaliated against her by increasing her workload, and in other ways, she said in the suit filed through attorneys Neal A. Sanders and Dirk D. Beuth, Butler.

The hospital told her she was being fired because of deficiencies in her work, she said.

Sharon Regional prepared for her firing by hiring others who did not have disabilities, and gave favorable treatment to younger employees, she said.

The sides agreed that a performance plan was discussed in January 2006.

The company, represented by Donna J. Geary and Joseph S. Palmiero of Jackson Lews LLP, Pittsburgh, agreed with the dates and job titles given by Ms. Scholl, but otherwise denied her account.

Among its defenses, the company said her claims were filed too late, that she still has administrative remedies to follow, and that she was not disabled.

Ms. Scholl is asking to be reinstated, compensated for lost wages and benefits, humiliation, embarrassment and other factors, and to be awarded punitive damages, costs and attorney’s fees.

Text Only
Local News
  • Ominous clouds Storms rumble through parts of Mercer County

    Temperatures dropped nearly 20 degrees Sunday as storms rumbled through parts of Mercer County in the afternoon and again in the evening. Some areas experienced high gusting winds during the early storms. The later storms were less windy, but dumped a lot of rain in a short span in the Shenango Valley as well as outlying areas. Temperatures are forecast for in the 90s on Memorial Day, with a chance of storms in the afternoon. Check out Sunday's Herald both in print and here for more details.

     

     

    May 27, 2012 1 Photo

  • Board wants pay freeze


    Sharon City School District officials are asking staff to take a wage freeze for the second year in a row to help cover a $1.9 million gap in the 2012-2013 budget in the face of further funding cuts by the state.

    May 27, 2012

  • City taps Pa. grant for downtown facelift


    The colorful flower baskets hanging in downtown Sharon are just one of the planted seeds officials hope will help the once-bustling area grow.

    May 27, 2012

  • pension graphic Pension bomb ticking for city

    The city of Sharon pays more people who don’t work there anymore than folks who still do.

    And the amount of money the city must pay to the retirees is going up about $250,000 next year, a hike that creates more problems for the cash-strapped town, City Manager Scott Andrejchak said.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Church softball league to Mormons: You’re out!

    The Grove City Area Church Softball League’s decision to exclude a Mormon team from Slippery Rock has sparked a controversy far beyond the local sandlot.

    May 26, 2012

  • Fired bus driver files lawsuit

    A Mercer County woman fired from her job as a school bus driver over a 25-year-old drug conviction filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against a state education official and Jamestown Area School District.

    May 26, 2012

  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012