Sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington

Wayne County Sheriff sued for sexual harassment

The complaint also alleges a hostile work environment, and an assault and battery.

FOX 2 - A federal lawsuit has been filed against Rafael Washington, the sheriff of Wayne County, alleging sexual harassment.

Attorney Deborah Gordon is representing the woman, Regina Parks, making the claims.

The backstory:

"Including language, touching, showing videos, creating a generally hostile environment based on her gender," Gordon said.

According to the complaint, the sexual harassment occurred on a routine basis from January 2021 to her termination in 2024.

"This is considered illegal under both federal and state law," she said.

At the time, Parks was the Community Outreach director for the sheriff's office.

"She experienced a lot of unwanted hostile behavior," Gordon said.

FOX 2: "There was never a dating relationship between two of them?"

"No, no way," she said.

The complaint also alleges a hostile work environment, and an assault and battery.

It also claims that there were other women that accused the sheriff of sexual harassment and misconduct.

FOX 2: "The complaint says that there was a high-ranking official at a 2022 black-tie event that saw the harassment? Who is it?"

"We’re not going into any more details other than what’s in the complaint," Gordon said.

The other side:

And in a statement by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office - it says:

"The story being spun in this lawsuit tests the bounds of fiction. The sheriff, on the advice of council, will let this play out legally. The vital daily work of this agency continues uninterrupted."

Gordon was asked about damages sought by Parks.

FOX 2: "How much money do you want?"

"I don’t know," Gordon said.

FOX 2: "What do you think?"

"I’m not going to put a number on it," she said.

FOX 2: "How bad is it?"

"It’s a very significant case to me, but I don’t have a number for you," she said.

No court dates have been set.

The Source: Information for this story was gathered from the lawsuit filed against Sheriff Washington and a statement from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.