EVERETT — A Seattle law firm filed another lawsuit Wednesday in King County Superior Court against Snohomish County on behalf of a Denney Juvenile Justice Center employee, alleging she faced discrimination and retaliation for reporting sexual harassment involving minor detainees at the center.
The complaint alleges that, despite the employee’s duties as a mandatory reporter, when she reported “highly inappropriate workplace behavior and intimidation,” her employers retaliated against her, according to a press release by the law firm, Hagens Berman. The plaintiff filed more than 20 incident reports about the harassment she faced, the lawsuit said.
Snohomish County will review the complaint and respond to the allegation in court, a county spokesperson said Thursday in an email.
This comes after Hagens and Berman filed a complaint in November in U.S. District Court in Seattle on behalf of eight formerly incarcerated minors against Snohomish County and up to 20 unnamed individuals. The complaint alleges systemic sexual abuse, rape and degradation at Denney Youth Center and Denney Juvenile Justice Center.
In December 2024, the plaintiff began working as a juvenile detention officer at the Denney Juvenile Justice Center, where she worked alongside another juvenile detention officer, according to the complaint. During this time, she witnessed the officer allegedly act inappropriately toward the minors in their care, including giving gifts, inappropriate physical contact and closeness, and sexual conversations, according to the lawsuit.
When she discussed his behavior with him, he allegedly retaliated by verbally and sexually harassing her and encouraging detainees to do the same, in addition to refusing to return her radio and keys during her shift and attempting to intimidate her by waiting by her vehicle after work, the complaint said.
In June 2025, she filed an incident report to her Denney supervisors detailing one of the detained minors’ behaviors toward her. The report referenced several comments the minor made, including threats to kill her and her family.
After consistent appeals to supervisors about the fellow officer’s behavior, she filed an official, formal complaint against him. She then received a letter claiming that she was “under investigation” with no further information, the release said.
In October 2025, the Denney Juvenile Justice Center fired her for “not meeting the requirements of the position,” the complaint said.
“Less than a year after she was hired, our client was terminated by Snohomish County after reporting heinous instances of inappropriate behavior and harassment at Denney Juvenile Justice Center,” said Jacob Berman, the Hagens Berman attorney representing the plaintiff, in the release. “We believe the county punished and attempted to silence our client for acting in accordance with her lawful duties as a mandatory reporter.”
The complaint demands a jury trial and requests relief in the form of financial compensation.
Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan
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