Two female employees of Knox County have filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against the county’s Board of Commissioners and district attorney’s office, alleging they were each paid less than a male employee for over a decade.
Lynn Talbot and Stephanie Laite, who are employed as victim witness advocates for the county, claimed in the lawsuit filed in Knox County District Court that they are paid “two to three dollars per hour less than a male employee who is responsible for substantially equal and comparable work.”
Their lawsuit was filed on Monday. Knox County Administrator Amber Christie and District Attorney Natasha Irving did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Talbot was hired in 1998, and Laite was hired in 1986. A male colleague of theirs, who works as a prosecutorial assistant, was hired in 2000, according to court documents. Talbot and Laite allege that the three employees do similar work in terms of skill, effort and responsibility. They all review police reports, conduct interviews with witnesses and victims of crimes, assist with courtroom preparation, draft court documents and perform other responsibilities.
They also claim in their lawsuit that they have additional duties that their male coworker does not, such as informing witnesses, victims and their families of court procedures; communicating with prisons and jails regarding inmate release; and assisting victims with prisoner release forms.
In 2011, the male coworker’s title was changed to prosecutorial assistant/investigator, according to court documents. Following a wage study that year, Laite and Talbot were placed at the county’s pay grade level 10, while their male colleague was placed at pay grade 14. Laite and Talbot allege that they were not aware of the wage study, while their coworker was.
According to court documents, the employees raised pay equality concerns in 2011, 2016 and 2024, and, in late 2024, they filed a joint complaint of sex discrimination with the Maine Human Rights Commission. Following their 2011 complaint, Laite and Talbot claim they were promoted to pay grade 13, but subsequently demoted to pay grade 12 with no explanation in 2016. Their coworker remained at pay grade 14.
Following their 2016 complaint, Laite and Talbot’s pay grade was restored to level 13, according to court documents.
After the duo filed another complaint with human resources in 2024, Christie — who at the time was the county’s human resources manager — “admitted that [the male coworker’s] compensation was based, in part, on supervisory duties he did not have, but took no further action to remedy the pay discrepancy,” the lawsuit claims.
Laite and Talbot claim the county is acting in violation of the Maine Human Rights Act, and they are requesting equal pay and backpay from the county, along with civil rights training for all county human resources employees.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
