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Former dispatcher sues Valley County, alleging retaliation

A former Valley County dispatcher says she was targeted and ultimately fired from her job after discovering that her supervisor was falsifying her own time cards.

CASCADE, Valley County — A former Valley County dispatcher says she was targeted and ultimately fired from her job after discovering that her supervisor was falsifying her own time cards.

Jennifer Giambo filed the lawsuit July 15 against the county, Valley County Sheriff Patti Bolen and sheriff's office employees Capt. Jason Speer and Sgt. Kelly Copperi.

In the suit, Giambo alleges she was retaliated against, and her concerns were ignored. She is seeking to be reinstatement as a dispatcher and more than $10,000 for lost wages, benefits and attorneys fees, as well as emotional damages. 

Giambo worked as a dispatcher from 2008 to January of 2019, and was considered an exemplary employee, her lawyers say, pointing to her streak of positive performance reviews.

In an October 2017 performance review, Copperi - who was in charge of the dispatch unit - wrote that Giambo "assisted above and beyond these last several months with training new staff members and setting a very good example" and praised her handling of a difficult call. 

An April 2018 review was similarly positive, with Copperi writing that the dispatcher "has done an excellent job in communicating with me and talking to me about concerns and ideas" and encouraging her to "keep up the good work and positive attitude."

According to the lawsuit, things changed later that year. 

In June 2018, Giambo says, the other dispatchers at the sheriff's office asked her to attend a meeting about Copperi falsifying her time cards.

"The other dispatchers had found out that Sgt. Copperi had been cheating on her timesheet and causing others to cover for her absences and/or remain silent about her time reporting issues," the suit reads.

During the meeting, which Copperi did not attend, the dispatchers decided to report the timesheet issue to Capt. Speer, and have Giambo speak to Copperi about what they had discovered, because she had a good rapport with the supervisor and had been complimented on communicating well in the past, according to the lawsuit.

But lawyers say Copperi soon after discovered that Giambo knew about the timesheet discrepancies. 

"Sgt. Copperi later found a copy of her own timesheet with the times in question that had been discussed in the meeting, but this timesheet had the Plaintiff's handwriting on it," the suit reads.

According to the complaint, Copperi called Giambo, who was not working that day, and told her to meet up with Copperi in the parking lot of the courthouse. When the dispatcher arrived, Copperi immediately began shouting at her, Giambo says. 

"Sgt. Copperi made it clear that Plaintiff was not to question her, that they were not equals, and that Plaintiff was only allowed to question down the chain of command, not up," the suit reads.

Giambo says the other woman grabbed her by the face and pulled her closer to Copperi's own face. Several other dispatchers saw the confrontation, according to the lawsuit. 

Giambo says she reported the incident to another supervisor, who had also witnessed Copperi grab her by the face. That woman in turn reported it to Speer, who promised to speak with Giambo about what had happened, but never did, according to the lawsuit.

Afterward, according to Giambo's lawyers, the dispatcher was "subjected to disparaging and retaliatory treatment," including being written up, being disciplined for actions that other dispatchers were not punished for, and having her vacations cut short. 

Copperi also screamed and swore at Giambo in front of other sheriff's office employees, according to the suit. 

The former dispatcher says Speer was aware of the conflict, and "routinely" promised to talk with Giambo, but never spoke to her about the parking-lot confrontation or Copperi's time card issues, the lawsuit states. 

Ultimately, Giambo was fired in January after receiving a write-up from Copperi. 

The former dispatcher's lawyers say the higher-ups at the sheriff's office are complicit in the retaliation against her. 

"Sgt. Copperi, with the aid, protection, and assistance of Captain Speer and Sheriff Bolen, took adverse action against Plaintiff in multiple ways, including the ultimate retaliation of terminating her employment with the Valley County Sheriff's Office," the suit reads.

Sheriff Bolen was not immediately available for comment. 

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