A state agency has found “no reasonable cause” in five discrimination complaints made against Grand County against commissioners and other officials by women who have worked for the county.
The findings by the Utah Antidiscrimination and Labor Division are the first determinations by a public agency since 13 women tied to Grand County government accused commissioners and other county officials last year of contributing to a hostile workplace environment for women. The allegations included claims of sexual harassment, retaliation and unequal treatment of women employees. County leadership and human resources personnel also were accused of giving an inadequate response to complaints raised more than a year ago.
Grand County has denied the allegations, and said it believes the claims lack merit. The county hired an outside investigator to review the allegations after they became public last fall; that investigation is ongoing.
In a May 4 press release, the county said the UALD findings support its position that the allegations did not violate state or federal antidiscrimination law.
Attorney Christina Sloan, who represents the women making the complaints, disputed the county’s interpretation and said the women intend to pursue broader claims in court after the administrative process concludes.
Several complaints and investigations remain pending before state and federal agencies.
County cites findings from five complaints
In its news release, the county said it was responding to public statements about the matter, and correcting what it described as “factual inaccuracies.”
In the release, Grand County said UALD — the agency within the Utah Labor Commission that investigates workplace discrimination — found “no reasonable cause” in five complaints alleging discrimination within county government. The county said the findings were issued “on the merits, not only procedural technicalities.”
Sloan said these five determinations involved complaints filed by former Assistant Airport Director Tara Collins, former Airport Director Tammy Howland, former Responsible Recreation Coordinator Anna Sprout, Commissioner Trish Hedin and former Managing Public Defender Kristine Rogers.
County spokesperson Melisa Jeffers told The Times-Independent in an email that three other complaints remain pending before UALD, along with a separate complaint filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jeffers declined to provide copies of the determinations, stating that “determination and orders are not public documents.”
According to the county, UALD investigators reviewed evidence, the women who filed the complaints and evaluated the allegations before concluding there was “no reasonable cause” to believe Grand County violated the law.
The county also cited language from two determinations suggesting some disputes reflected workplace or personality conflicts rather than unlawful discrimination. In one determination, the county said the labor commission “noted that the charging party herself attributed the difference in treatment to ‘political affiliation,’” and later stated that “personality conflicts between employees are not the business of the federal courts.”
“Like communities across the country, ours is navigating an unusually charged political climate, and that friction has been expressed by employees of all genders and political views,” the release stated. “The county takes those concerns seriously.”
The release also addressed another workplace investigation, being conducted for the last six months by an outside attorney, Paul Burke, who was hired to investigate the allegations and advise the county on employment practices. The county pushed back on suggestions that Burke was hired to “scrub” the investigation and described him as a labor and employment attorney with a background in civil rights advocacy.
Jeffers said the county had hoped to receive updates on Burke’s investigation by now. She said the county has not yet received any preliminary findings, reports, feedback or a timeline for when the investigation may conclude.
“When the full record has been received, the County will weigh each UALD determination on its specific facts and merits, the independent evaluation and feedback, and determine what reforms are warranted,” Jeffers said.
Sloan says broader claims remain unresolved
Sloan emphasized in a written response to The Times-Independent that the UALD process was a legally required step before her clients could pursue broader claims in court. She added that the state findings do not resolve the broader allegations the women have raised.
She said the determinations are final but appealable, though her clients do not plan to appeal and instead intend to seek “right to sue” notices from the agency.
Sloan, who is the former Grand County attorney, said the women filed complaints with the state labor division because Utah law requires them to exhaust administrative remedies before pursuing certain claims in court. She argued the agency evaluates complaints under a narrower employment-discrimination framework than broader civil litigation, and that any future court claims are expected to include allegations beyond discrimination — including claims of harassment, wrongful termination, breach of contract and emotional distress.
(Andrew Christiansen | The Times-Independent) Attorney Christina Sloan speaks in a public comment session at a Grand County Commission meeting on April 7. Sloan represents a group of women who are or were connected to Grand County government in ongoing workplace-related claims and investigations.
Sloan said court proceedings would allow testimony from a broader group of complainants, witnesses and county officials, and would allow consideration of alleged patterns involving multiple women rather than evaluating complaints individually. She said the broader allegations involve not only the 13 women connected to the notices of claim — whom Sloan has publicly referred to as the “Moab13” — but other witnesses and former employees as well.
Sloan disputed the county’s characterization that the complaints primarily reflected political disagreements or workplace personality conflicts.
“It is a convenient excuse to dismiss the concerns of the complainants, but it is not truthful,” Sloan wrote.
She also said some women connected to the allegations still intend to pursue claims in court even if they were not eligible to file discrimination complaints with the state labor division. Sloan added that the county has not apologized to the women who complained, engaged them on the concerns raised in the allegations or proposed reforms aimed at improving working conditions for women in county government.
“The fact that the Moab13 are willing to subject themselves to this intense, emotional process is a testament to how much they care about our community, the county, and the role local government plays in each of our lives,” Sloan wrote.
Allegations expanded over several months
The allegations first became public during a Sept. 2 Grand County Commission meeting, when Commissioner Mary McGann alleged county government had become a “hostile, toxic work environment” for women.
Less than two weeks later, Sloan filed a notice of claim — a required step before suing a government entity in Utah — on behalf of 10 current and former women employees, officials and department leaders tied to Grand County government. Later amended filings expanded the group to 13 women and added more allegations and legal claims.
The filings accused then-Commission Chair Bill Winfield and Commissioner Brian Martinez of contributing to a hostile workplace culture through alleged harassment, retaliation, misuse of authority and unequal treatment of women in county government. Some claims also named County Attorney Stephen Stocks, and accused county leadership of failing to adequately respond to complaints raised internally for more than a year through meetings, emails, human resources channels and resignation letters.
The allegations included claims of inappropriate comments about women’s appearance, retaliation against employees who raised concerns, interference in departments and hiring decisions, unequal treatment of women during meetings and pressure that allegedly contributed to resignations, demotions and emotional distress among some women involved.
Winfield previously has denied the allegations, and said he would “vigorously defend” himself if a lawsuit is filed. Martinez previously told The Times-Independent that “there is no truth in the allegations made against me.”
Stocks previously told The Times-Independent he supported the independent investigation process and believed investigations “must move meticulously to reach findings.”
This story was first published by The Times-Independent.