Harassment investigation costs Butler County $45K

Butler County taxpayers now know that hell hath no fury like a court reporter scorned. When a nine-year affair between Judge Michael Sage and court reporter Jennifer Olivier ended, the strain was felt throughout the courthouse.

Olivier’s court reporting schedule was juggled so she would no longer work in Sage’s court. Olivier claims court employees soon began to treat her rudely. Collectively, these charges became part of a harassment retaliation suit she filed against the judge.

The county hired Reynoldsburg attorney Scott Warrick to investigate the charges. He determined that co-workers behaving rudely are not breaking the law and that the reassignment had been planned for years to remedy disparities in court reporters’ income.

The total tab for concluding that Olivier’s charges were baseless: $44,937.44.  

Note: It may have cost a lot, but legal fees were worth it to the Butler County Area Courts, which handled this case properly. It hired an outside investigator with no ties the county or the participants. Olivier may still file an EEOC complaint, but unless some other evidence comes to light, she will probably fare no better there.