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A former juvenile detention officer has filed a lawsuit against Snohomish County, alleging she was retaliated against and fired after reporting sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct involving detained minors at the Denney Juvenile Justice Center.
The complaint, filed Feb. 4 in King County Superior Court, accuses the county of employment discrimination, unlawful retaliation and fostering a hostile work environment in violation of Washington's Law Against Discrimination
The plaintiff, Kourtney Oehlerich, is represented by Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman.
Lawsuit centers on harassment reports and termination
According to the lawsuit, Oehlerich was hired as a juvenile detention officer in December 2024 and worked at the county-run Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Snohomish County.
The complaint alleges she reported repeated incidents of sexual harassment directed at her by a fellow detention officer and by detained minors. She also reported what she described as inappropriate behavior involving minors, including conversations of a sexual nature and the exchange of gifts.
"Less than a year after she was hired, our client was terminated by Snohomish County after reporting heinous instances of inappropriate behavior and harassment at Denney Juvenile Justice Center," said Jacob Berman, an attorney with Hagens Berman. "We believe the county punished and attempted to silence our client for acting in accordance with her lawful duties as a mandatory reporter."
The lawsuit states Oehlerich filed more than 20 incident reports documenting harassment and intimidation during her employment.
Allegations involving fellow detention officer
The complaint names a fellow juvenile detention officer, alleging Oehlerich witnessed him engaging in inappropriate behavior toward detained minors.
That conduct allegedly included "providing gifts to the youths from outside of the facility, inappropriate physical contact, physical closeness, and conversations of a sexual nature," according to the lawsuit.
After Oehlerich raised concerns, the lawsuit alleges the officer retaliated by verbally sexually harassing her, encouraging detained minors to do the same, withholding her keys and radio during shifts, and intimidating her after work, including one incident at her vehicle.
The lawsuit describes the conditions as creating "a severe and pervasive hostile work environment."
County accused of failing to act
In addition to staff conduct, the lawsuit alleges Oehlerich was subjected to repeated sexually explicit comments and threats from detained minors, including threats against her and her family, which were detailed in incident reports.
Attorneys allege supervisors were aware of the conduct but failed to intervene.
"Despite the ongoing nature and awareness of this conduct, Denney staff and supervisors failed to take adequate steps to prevent, discourage, or correct the harassment," the lawsuit states.
After submitting a formal complaint, Oehlerich was notified she was under investigation herself and was later terminated on Oct. 8, 2025, for what the county cited as not meeting job requirements — a reason the lawsuit claims was retaliatory.
Snohomish County responds
In a statement to FOX 13 Seattle, Snohomish County declined to comment on the specifics of the case.
"Snohomish County does not generally comment on pending litigation. The County will review the complaint and respond to the allegations in court."
The case remains pending in King County Superior Court.
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The Source: Information in this story came from Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman, a lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court and Snohomish County.