The Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre is seen in a file photo. Two civil suits have been filed in federal court alleging sexual harrassment at the facility.
Times Leader file photo
Two civil suits have been filed in federal court alleging sexual harassment at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre, court filings show.
Pittston Attorney Robert J. Boyer filed both complaints on behalf of plaintiffs Tamra Roper and Kimberly Karavitch.
Roper’s complaint is against former county deputy warden Sam Hyder and current Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich.
The complaint filed by Karavitch names the county and former county prison sergeant Richard Stofko as defendants.
According to the filings:
Roper, of West Pittston, has been a correctional officer since February 2008 and alleges sexually derogatory comments were made about her in March 2020.
She cites the repeated and open announcement of false claims that she was traveling to have sex and “gangbangs” with strange men.
“This false, degrading, insulting and humiliating information was even announced and discussed during a meeting of the supervisors and management of the correctional facility,” the suit says.
Roper said she filed a complaint with the county corrections division requesting an investigation into her sexual harassment complaint but was never interviewed in response.
She also pointed to insufficient training on sexual harassment at the facility, saying it consists of a video that is shown annually and mocked by many viewers.
As a result of the harassment, Roper has experienced embarrassment, depression, humiliation, insomnia and anxiety, it said.
Karavitch said she worked as a correctional officer at the facility from November 2005 until she was forced to retire in June 2020 due to trauma she experienced as a direct result of discrimination and the county’s failure to appropriately address it.
Her claims focus on Stofko and assertions he twice asked to see her breasts after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and given treatment options that included a bilateral mastectomy.
She underwent surgery for a bilateral mastectomy in April 2020 and returned to work on May 20, 2020, to learn she was assigned to work in close proximity to Stofko.
She said she filed a complaint about his actions a few days later but was never contacted by the county for an interview in response.
County personnel reports indicate Stofko resigned in June 2020.
Hyder resigned in November 2021 after nearly five years as second-in-command.
County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo said Thursday the county will be filing responses and that she cannot comment on pending litigation.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
