The former chief of staff for a Westmoreland County state legislator is suing him and members of the House Republican Caucus alleging that she was fired for reporting mold in the district office.
Marcel Nicole Ingram of West Newton is suing in federal court for retaliation under Pennsylvania’s Whistleblower law and violations of her First Amendment right to speak on a matter of public concern.
Ingram was assigned to serve as state Rep. Eric Davanzo’s chief of staff in March 2020.
Neither Davanzo, chief counsel for the caucus, nor a caucus spokesman returned messages seeking comment late Friday.
In early May, the lawsuit said, Ingram and another employee in the North Water Street district office in West Newton began to smell “strong foul odors” there.
They became so intense, the complaint said, that they burned the women’s eyes, and both began developing headaches when the odors were present.
On May 5, the complaint said, Davanzo, R-Smithton, sent a text message in response to Ingram’s complaint about the odor speculating that it was coming from the neighbor of the district office.
“He did not address his staff’s concerns about their burning eyes,” the complaint said.
The lawsuit said that Ingram raised the issue with Davanzo several more times, and he repeatedly referred her to the district office landlord.
The lawsuit alleges that Ingram made multiple complaints to the landlord, but the landlord claimed to be unable to locate the source of the odor. Then, in early June,...
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