Ex-Pima County Prosecutor Files Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Against County Attorney

A former Pima County prosecutor, Theresa Sheridan, has initiated legal action against the county attorney’s office, alleging that her termination in 2014 was driven by sexual discrimination.

Sheridan was dismissed from her position in June 2014 following a Superior Court ruling that identified prosecutorial misconduct on her part. The court subsequently dismissed the associated case against her.

After her dismissal, Sheridan appealed to the Pima County Merit System Commission, which upheld the firing. Despite a subsequent appeal to the state court, her termination was confirmed last November.

In April 2015, Sheridan filed a sex discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC later informed her in June 2016 that they could not substantiate her claims of discrimination.

The lawsuit asserts that County Attorney Barbara LaWall discriminated against Sheridan. Sheridan states that at least two male colleagues engaged in more severe ethical violations yet faced no punitive actions until the State Bar intervened to revoke their licenses.

“Unlike the two male attorneys discussed above, at the time of Ms. Sheridan’s termination from employment, she had no pending or prior discipline regarding her license,” the lawsuit claims.

Following her placement on administrative leave in May 2014, the State Bar launched an investigation into Sheridan. By December of that year, she accepted a reprimand for costs, according to court records.

The allegations against Sheridan originated from an incident involving unredacted medical documents taken from a judge’s chambers. Sheridan described this as an honest mistake but failed to report the incident to her superiors or outside counsel.

In her termination letter, LaWall cited dishonesty related to the document handling and the dismissal of a DUI case as reasons for Sheridan’s firing.

Sheridan’s lawsuit does not specify any financial restitution sought. The county attorney’s office has refrained from commenting on ongoing litigation.

Contact reporter Caitlin Schmidt at cschmidt@tucson.com or 573-4191. Twitter: @caitlinschmidt