New Bedford City Council President sues Sheriff for discrimination

City Council President Naomi Carney worked for the Bristol County Sheriff's Office for nearly 20 years.
She lost her job in February 2023 and claims she was discriminated against by Sheriff Paul Heroux.
Heroux denies the allegations in Carney's lawsuit.

NEW BEDFORD – City Council President Naomi Carney is suing her former employer, Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux, for racial discrimination, age discrimination and gender discrimination in connection with the loss of her job.

The lawsuit, filed June 14 in Bristol County Superior Court, alleges that Heroux and the Bristol County Sheriff's Office discriminated against her based on her age, race, gender and national origin, and retaliated against her after she raised the issue.

The lawsuit alleges that she was wrongfully terminated from her job and that the sheriff's office also discriminated against her by refusing to rehire her for other positions for which she was qualified.

City Council President Naomi Carney is suing her former employer, Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux, for discrimination related to her job loss.

Sheriff Heroux denies the allegations

Heroux denies the allegations and says he has hired and promoted women, minorities and older employees. “There's no pattern,” Heroux said. “Why would I pick this one person? It just doesn't fit together.”

He said her position was eliminated because she was not needed. “Her duties were split between two other full-time employees, and both of them took on those duties without batting an eyelid because there wasn't 35 or 40 hours of work that needed to be done.”

In his 13-count lawsuit, Carney is seeking damages for emotional distress, punitive damages and attorneys' fees.

Carney is 67 years old and of black, Native American and Cape Verdean descent, her lawsuit states.

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Carney worked for the Sheriff's Office for nearly 20 years

She worked for the sheriff's office for nearly 20 years, including 18 years as director of the Community Works Program, the lawsuit says.

She was responsible for directing community service projects undertaken by male and female inmates at the Bristol County House of Correction in pre-release work groups or tandem work groups.

Carney worked for former Sheriff Thomas Hodgson for most of her career. Heroux took office in January 2023 after defeating Hodgson in the 2022 election.

The lawsuit says Carney was the only female minority on the administrative staff during her tenure, aside from another colleague who has since retired. Heroux's response to the lawsuit, also filed in Bristol County Superior Court, says that's not true.

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Complaint: Heroux informed her that the director's position had been eliminated

According to the lawsuit, Heroux told employees that he was restructuring the office, but that affected employees would be offered alternative positions. Heroux denies this in his response to the lawsuit.

He also “implied” that people with higher levels of education would be compensated, the lawsuit says.

Heroux met with Carney in February 2023 and said her directorship had been eliminated.

According to the lawsuit, Heroux offered her a position as a “classification consultant” with a salary of $48,000 to $58,000 a year, instead of the $79,000 she had previously earned. Heroux said he offered her an interview for the job, not the position itself.

Carney was placed on leave.

Heroux denies being shocked that Carney had a degree

Carney asked if she was entitled to compensation because of her bachelor's degree.

The lawsuit alleges that Heroux was shocked because she had the degree and said he had not yet decided whether he would pay compensation for advanced degrees. In his response, Heroux denies being shocked.

Carney told Heroux later that day that she was disappointed in him because she believed her gender, race and age were the reasons she was eliminated from her position. Heroux denied this in his response.

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Carney said the job loss was a “devastating financial burden”

She also told him that the drop in salary was a “devastating financial hardship” and that she was upset about being placed on leave, her lawsuit says.

Heroux said they would talk again and the leave would include full pay and benefits for at least four weeks, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit states that in conversations with Heroux, Carney asked “multiple times” why she had been placed on leave and that, in her opinion, her position was terminated “because of her race, nationality, gender and age.”

In its response, it states that the defendants “lack the knowledge or information to form an opinion on the allegations. … To the extent that an answer is required, it is refused.”

Carney said Heroux pressured her to resign, which he denies

The complaint states that Heroux either ignored or denied her allegations and made efforts to avoid her calls, texts and requests for an in-person meeting to discuss the process for her accepting the classification consultant position, which Heroux denies in her response.

The lawsuit goes on to say that he also “pushed” the idea that Carney should retire. Heroux denies pressuring her to resign.

Carney told him that she planned to work until she was 70.

In February 2023, she floated the idea of taking a job as a third-shift correctional officer, citing her 18 years of experience working with inmates, noting that it would offset her reduced salary.

According to the lawsuit, Heroux did not respond.

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Carney said she felt she was being targeted

Later that month, Heroux told her he did not think the correctional officer position was feasible, but the placement counselor position was still an option, the lawsuit says.

She reiterated that as a 66-year-old woman of Indian and Cape Verdean descent, she felt targeted.

Heroux's response contradicts her statement that she felt she was being targeted.

Heroux said her demographics played no role in his decision, the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, Heroux said he would try to get her an interview for the position and that she could start work immediately if there was a “mutual fit.”

For a position as CO she would have to go through the academy

This caused Carney “confusion and anxiety” because Heroux had initially told her to give her the job without an interview if no alternative could be found, which Heroux denies.

According to her lawsuit, Heroux told her he was still trying to arrange an interview for the placement counselor position.

He also informed her that in order to accept the position as a correctional officer, she would have to attend the academy for eight to nine weeks.

She would also be placed at the bottom of the seniority list and would have to work overtime every other day. According to the lawsuit, he told her that this would greatly disrupt her life.

He told her to retire and that if she worked for the city for several more years, her pension would increase, the lawsuit says.

Heroux told her that the second job went to another applicant

She asked him to stop pressuring her to retire, the lawsuit says, and said she had accepted the job as a classification consultant. Heroux says in his response that the job was not offered to her and that he did not pressure her.

The interview took place at the end of February 2023.

In early March, Heroux informed her that he had given the position to another applicant. The successful candidate was a younger white male with minimal experience working directly with inmates, the lawsuit says. Heroux's response refutes that the successful candidate had minimal experience.

Carney said Heroux initially told her that the staff conducting the interview would make the decision. Heroux responded that was incorrect.

Heroux denies having reacted aggressively to Carney

Carney asked for an extension of her paid administrative leave until the end of April 2023.

He informed her on March 23, 2023, that “six weeks of severance pay would be sufficient” and that she could apply for unemployment benefits, the lawsuit says.

When she objected, Heroux reacted “aggressively,” according to the lawsuit.

In his response filed with the court, Heroux denies that his text message was aggressive, but says the statements were accurately reported.

According to the lawsuit, he stated:

“What you're forgetting, however, is that you are not entitled to severance pay. I didn't have to give you anything.”

New Bedford City Council President sues Sheriff for discrimination

Sheriff Heroux denies the allegations

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