Olmsted County reaches settlement to avoid future action on social worker's unsuccessful $8.2 million lawsuit

Randy Petersen, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

May 22—ROCHESTER — Olmsted County commissioners agreed Tuesday to settlement terms with a social worker following her unsuccessful discrimination lawsuit that sought nearly $8.2 million.

The agreement calls for Wilhelmina Jacob to receive a year's pay, which was $110,000 in 2023, as "emotional distress damages" with the stipulation that she ends county employment and waives her right to appeal the March 11 jury verdict .

"This settlement will be entered into by way of compromise and to avoid the expense of resolving the lawsuit through the continuation of litigation," a report to the commissioners stated. "Olmsted County does not admit, expressly or impliedly, to any liability of any type or nature with respect to the lawsuit."

Jacob filed her lawsuit in April 2022, alleging she faced age, gender and racial discrimination as a county senior social worker in Child and Family Services. During the two-week trial earlier this year, she pointed to unwanted work assignments, not being promoted to leadership positions and various microaggressions from county coworkers

The lawsuit also claimed retaliation in response to her past complaints of discrimination.

The county denied any wrongdoing throughout the trial, with senior leadership saying staffing decisions were not based on Jacob's age, gender or race. County leadership also pointed to efforts aimed at supporting Jacob after she reported concerns to supervisors or human resources.

On March 11, 2024, eight of nine jury members determined Jacob did not prove she faced discrimination, which resulted in a verdict supporting the county.

The settlement agreement approved Tuesday without commissioner comment came two weeks after commissioners held a closed meeting to discuss the lawsuit.

At that time, the county had also filed a notice of nearly $127,000 in costs related to the lawsuit, which included nearly $60,000 in costs related to an expert witness.

The settlement with Jacob dismisses the claim seeking reimbursement of the costs and covers the $10,000 the social worker was expected to pay for mediation services tapped before the trial.

The agreement ends Jacob's 22-year career with the county, providing nine months of health care coverage, in addition to the year's pay. It calls for Jacob to agree to not seek Olmsted County employment in the future, to avoid disparaging comments about the county or its employees and to refrain from public discussion of the settlement.