COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — A collection of six current and former Collin County employees has filed a civil suit against Collin County, the Collin County District Attorney, his first assistant and the entire commissioners' court, alleging sexual harassment and the fostering of a toxic workplace within the Collin County District Attorney's Office.
The suit accuses the District Attorney Greg Willis and First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye of sexually harassing multiple women who work or have worked in the district attorney's office, and of retaliating against them when they refused to comply with their sexual advances. The commissioners are accused of aiding and abetting Willis and Wirskye by ignoring multiple complaints that recounted the accusations filed against the two men in charge of the DA's office.
Alleges the suit: "District Attorney Greg Willis treats female employees as objects that, without their consent, must gratify his sexual impulses and personal vanity, while First Assistant Bill Wirskye runs the office as a crass, misogynistic fraternity complete with systemic hazing of the County's attorneys, investigators and staff."
The suit also alleges that the Collin County Commissioners Court, including Collin County Judge Chris Hill, has known of the misconduct for years and has only enabled it by not taking remedial action or conducting any investigation.
"Only in recent weeks has the Commissioners Court initiated a review of these charges, but on information and belief, it did so solely for the self-interested purpose of evaluating Collin County’s legal liabilities arising from the Commissioners Court’s acquiescence to the abuses that Mr. Willis and Mr. Wirskye have committed on the Plaintiffs in this case and to other employees in the District Attorney’s Office," the suit states.
In a statement, Hill said that Collin County has no tolerance for sexual harassment.
"While the ongoing litigation prevents me from speaking to the media about the allegations, I wanted to address any concerns that you may have and inform you of the actions that the Commissioners Court and I have taken," said Hill. "As you know, the county has a strong and clear policy prohibiting any form of harassment in the workplace, and we take all employee complaints very seriously. Such behavior will never be allowed. At the same time, we must take care to remember that allegations in a lawsuit are not the same as evidence in a courtroom."
Hill said that the Commissioners Court first received letters alleging misconduct in the DA's office in 2019, which were forwarded to the Human Resources department. Hill said an internal investigation began and in April 2022, three employees filed formal allegations and a new internal investigation began.
One of the complainants who still works in the DA's office, its chief investigator Kim Pickrell, alleges in the lawsuit that Willis made unwanted sexual advances toward her, along with routine and unwelcome efforts at flirting with her.
"On one specific occasion, [Willis] 'needed help' on an electronic document located on his computer and invited [Pickrell] over to his computer area," the suit reads. "Once she was in place, he began to stroke her hand with his hand. Quite frequently, he would give her full frontal body hugs while pressing her breasts into his chest, rubbing her lower back with his hands and moaning."
The suit alleges that Willis' conduct towards Pickrell became more threatening once he realized she was not receptive toward his sexual advances or attempts at flirting, and that he at that point began berating and belittling her frequently.
"Defendant Willis would make Chief Pickrell do 'role play' scenarios where he would pretend to be her and he would require her to play the DA," the suit says. "Whereas role play can be a useful management exercise, he used it as a means to groom, flirt, make sexual advances and assert control."
The suit also alleges that, at times when Pickrell would meet with Willis alone in his office, she would have Deputy Chief Keith Henslee sit in the room next door so she could knock on the wall and signal if she was in distress -- an action the suit says Pickrell never actually took out of fear of incurring Willis' wrath.
"On at least one occasion, Defendant Willis threw a backpack in his office at a female staffer, a fact which is known by many in the office," the suit alleges. "It was common for Deputy Chief Henslee to see women leave Defendant Willis’ office in tears."
The suit additionally alleges that First Assistant DA Wirskye had a "no crying" policy in the office, and would say such things to female employees as "no snowflakes in this office" and "nobody gives a s**t about your feelings."
The lawsuit also alleges of multiple instances where Willis would try to invite his female employees -- including one of the anonymous administrative assistants suing him -- up to his hotel rooms during work trips.
"After Jane Doe 1 refused Defendant Willis’ advances at the Galveston TDCAA [Texas District & County Attorneys Association] conference, he treated her quite differently in the workplace," the suit alleges. "He began demeaning and berating her. In one closed-door meeting he told her, 'You think like a child, and I will treat you like a child.'"
Also included in the suit is human resources data on employee turnover in the DA's office. It shows a four-times increase in annual turnover rate in the DA's office during Willis' tenure -- from 8% in 2013, when Willis had been in office for two years, to 32% in 2022.
The suit adds that multiple anonymous letters were sent to the county commissioners between 2019 and 2022, detailing the accusations of targeted harassment and retaliation against Willis and Wirskye.
"A female ADA was told by Bill prior to leaving on maternity leave “You are not really going to take the full maternity leave if you want your job?” This is not a joking statement from a man in a position of power," the letter states.
The letter further alleges that Wirskye was known to discuss which assistant DAs were the most "f**kable," and that recent resignations in the office were due to bullying and harassment.
"Upon information and belief, the Commissioners Court did not initiate any independent, unbiased investigations into the allegations," the suit alleges.
"Again, like Defendant Willis, the Commissioners behaved as though they never received this letter."
Wirskye is also accused in the suit of regularly addressing groups of prosecutors as "motherf**kers" in division meetings, and addressing female prosecutors by words like "gossips," "b**ches," "whores" and "sluts."
The suit says that one of the defendants, a prosecutor in the office named Fallon LaFleur, attempted to kill herself at one point due to emotional and psychological abuse she experienced at the workplace. Willis and Wirskye later learned of this suicide attempt through a backchannel in law enforcement, the suit alleges.
"Soon after, Chief Pickrell heard Defendant Wirskye's Chiefs call Ms. LaFleur 'crazy' and make other derogatory and demeaning comments about her mental health," the suit alleges. "Chief Pickrell heard Defendant Wirskye also say that Ms. LaFleur made an attempt on her life in an effort to get out of trial."
The suit alleges that County Commissioner Susan Fletcher, who is also named as a defendant, said in response to an anonymous letter complaining about Willis and Wirskye's behavior that the anonymous nature of the information had the hallmarks of a disgruntled employee seeking revenge.
Pickrell, Henslee and another of the anonymous complainants also said in the lawsuit that they reported Willis to Human Resources Director Cynthia Jacobsen in April 2022.
"Human Resources told Chief Pickrell, Deputy Chief Henslee and Jane Doe 1 that 'the DA is untouchable' and that there is nothing that Human Resources can do to make the harassment stop or to protect them," the suit alleges. "Cynthia Jacobson said, 'Let’s be honest, he’s the DA and nothing’s going to happen to him.' Jacobsen briefly mentioned they could make a report to the EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]."
The suit adds that Pickrell and Henslee soon informed Wirskye they had reported Willis' sexual harassment to HR.
"Upon learning of this report, Defendant Wirskye sighed loudly, put his head on his desk, apologized and asked, 'Are there more than 10?'" the suit reads. "Defendant Wirskye was clearly unsurprised to learn of Defendant Willis’ pattern and practice of sexual harassment. Concerned about reports of his own conduct, Defendant Wirskye asked whether the issue of the anonymous letters had come up."
Soon afterwards, the suit says, Henslee and Pickrell were stripped of several duties and responsibilities by Wirskye, who allegedly justified the changes by making false statements in their performance reviews.
The lawsuit -- filed Monday, October 31, in the Dallas Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas -- accuses Willis and Wirskye of sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation, and accuses the county and the commissioners' court of aiding and abetting Willis and Wirskye. It is asking the court to provide the plaintiffs with declaratory relief that a violation has occurred to each of them, along with an injunction against further discrimination or retaliation, and the payment of pay attorneys' fees, interest on judgment, court costs and punitive damages.
In response to the suit, Willis issued a statement denying the allegations: "The citizens of Collin County deserve better than these dishonest and politically motivated attacks that waste time and money. I categorically and unequivocally deny these false allegations. They did not happen."
Willis' attorney, Rogge Dunn, said there is a mountain of evidence proving the allegations are false.
"These complaints are sour grapes by some disgruntled former and current employees who had performance issues," Dunn said.
Wirskye similarly denied the allegations: "This is obviously a politically motivated and politically timed lawsuit based on lies and recycled untruths by some very disgruntled and very troubled individuals. It is a shame for all the good people who work in the Collin County District Attorney’s Office and our County Officials to have to suffer through these untruthful personal attacks. I can’t wait to get into court and clear my name.”
Hill said that at all points in the process "the Commissioners Court - through our Human Resources team - has been actively engaged."
