Benton Franklin Health Dist. Sued For Harassment & Discrimination

It has been a long 18 months for the Benton Franklin Health District.  Back in November of 2022 we told you about the vote of no confidence in regard to the leadership of then BFD Administrator Jason Zaccaria.  The vote came from union members after staff decisions they had concerns about and the COVID response under Zaccaria's direction.

In July of 2023 Zaccaria was placed on administrative leave, then soon after he tendered his resignation.  In the aftermath, a number of disturbing things have come to light as part of a lawsuit filed by three women, against Benton and Franklin Counties and BFHD, who worked under Zaccaria.

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The three women, represented by Schroeter Goldmark & Bender (SGB) of Seattle, said they were subject to discrimination and sexual harassment by Zaccaria for over a decade.  They also claim Zaccaria did the same to other women employed at the Health District.  The women also had concerns they were being secretly recorded by Zaccaria.

According to a release from SGB outlining the suit, some disturbing items were found in Zaccaria's office after he was placed on leave.  Kennewick Police were made aware that BFHD staff discovered a significant amount of pornography, videos of minors, and secret recordings Zaccaria had made of staff.

After an investigation into possible criminal charges over the staff recordings, Zaccaria was not charged because of statue of limitation laws.  It is unknown at the time of this writing if there is an active KPD investigation into the former BFHD Administrator with regard to the other items discovered.

Elizabeth Hanley of SGB is one of the attorneys representing the three women.  She said in a statement:

These women, who collectively had 73 years of service to the Health District, were subject to sexual harassment and unfair gender and employment discrimination for years.  Filing these claims is a message to employers everywhere that they can and will be held accountable for not taking appropriate measures to protect employees from predators like Zaccaria in the workplace.

The claims are currently in front of all of the agencies involved and no court date has been set.