The Collin County Commissioners Court agreed to settle an amended $1.75 million lawsuit Tuesday filed last year by six employees of the district attorney's office who said it was a toxic work environment that included sexual harassment, bullying and threats.
The original 75-page lawsuit filed in October 2022 by Kim Pickrell, Keith Henslee, Fallon Lafleur, Vykim Le, Jane Doe 1, and Jane Doe 2 -- claimed top officials in the district attorney's office practiced sexual harassment, gender discrimination and illegal retaliation and that members of the county commissioners court refused to take action on the allegations.
Attorney Jeffrey Simon filed the lawsuit in federal court, naming District Attorney Greg Willis and First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye as defendants along with County Judge Chris Hill and four members of the commissioners court.
Willis spoke exclusively with NBC 5 in November 2022 and said the lawsuit was "full of lies" and was "full of false, defamatory and outrageous claims." At the same time, the district attorney released a recording of a 20-minute exit interview he said contradicted the plaintiff's allegations in the lawsuit. Willis said he recorded the exit interview out of concern he was potentially being set up but declined to tell NBC 5 why he felt that way. He published the recording on a website, CollinCountyTruthFiles.com.
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Hill said in a statement Tuesday that the commissioners court determined the allegations against the DA and ADA were unfounded and they refused to settle. In spite of their objections, Hill wrote, the county's insurance company was concerned about the potential costs of litigation, and a potential judgment, and offered the six plaintiffs $1.75 million to settle the suit.
Hill said the six plaintiffs agreed to the settlement and as part of that settlement they agreed to amend their lawsuit to retract all of their allegations except for retaliation. Additionally, the three people who were still employees of the district attorney's office resigned from their positions.
"The Commissioners and I take allegations such as these very seriously, and they deserve nothing less than a full, thorough, and impartial investigation. The Commissioners Court responded with appropriate care and vigilance, and I am now convinced these allegations were without merit," Hill wrote. "I am thankful for the leadership and the service of Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis and First Assistant Bill Wirskye."
The settlement amount will be paid through the county’s insurance and will be split among the six plaintiffs.
