In response filed in court, lawyer for Erie County Executive Brenton Davis denies that firing of juvenile counselor Shawn Held was in retaliation for Held's complaints about food at juvenile center.

Erie Times-News

• Shawn Held, who had been a counselor at the county-run Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center, filed whistleblower lawsuit against Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, county in October
• Davis administration has filed its response in court, including an answer to Held's characterization of a meeting in Davis' office
• Held claims Davis made him stand at meeting out of disrespect and lack of concern while Davis says Held stood because meeting was short

A meeting on Feb. 24 in Erie County Executive Brenton Davis' office is characterized as a pivotal event in the whistleblower lawsuit that a fired county employee filed against Davis.

What happened at the meeting — including why the employee had to stand during it — is in dispute as Davis and the county respond to the suit in U.S. District Court in Erie.

The disagreement signals how wide the rift remains between Davis and the fired worker, Shawn Held, who had been a juvenile counselor at the county-run Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center.

The Feb. 24 meeting with Davis was over Held's concerns about the poor quality of the food at the Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center — a situation that Held claimed led to the center throwing out a large amount of food.

Held claims his complaint over the food led Davis to...

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